Heart of an Artist, Hands of a Killer
by Lady Hanaka
Summary: They were both searching for the same Uchiha. Uchiha Sasuke. She wanted love, he wanted revenge. She found him drowning in a pool of his own blood. It was at that moment that she realized their paths were the same, even if their goals were not. DeiSaku  ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

**Heart of an Artist, Hands of a Killer**

All he could hear was the soft chirping of birds. His head ached horribly, and that merely magnified the birds' songs. It reminded him faintly of the chidori—which made him frown. He didn't open his eyes because the lids felt like lead, and the effort to move them was too much.

_Damn._

His entire body throbbed. He tentatively moved his fingers, and they felt stiff. He blinked, realizing that he could only move the fingers on one hand. Which meant…he tried to move his left arm, and realized that it wasn't there.

_Just my luck, yeah._

He tried to move his right arm but found that it was impossible to do so as well. For a second he feared that perhaps it had been torn off in the blast just like the left. But he shook it off. He couldn't even think properly, the pain was slicing through his body like knives. Maybe it was the fact that his right arm was twisted beneath his back in a very uncomfortable position. The bone that jutted from the skin on his awkwardly bent arm was stabbing into his back, the sharp edge digging into the tender flesh between his shoulder blades.

He gritted his teeth, before he breathed in deeply. He regretted it a second later as he let out a choked growl. Blood bubbled up to his lips and he coughed. One of his ribs was close to penetrating his right lung. It burned, and he had to breathe in short breaths to keep the pain from becoming too overwhelming.

_I hope I got that damn Uchiha, yeah._ He thought drowsily as he opened his eye and slowly moved each of his limbs, checking the extent of his injuries. A broken ankle, third degree burns on his torso, neck, and arms—or rather the arm he had _left_, a few torn ligaments, and he could feel the blood dripping from the large hole in his stomach, where a once-brown tree limb jutted from the skin, now covered in the sticky crimson liquid. He could see the blood dripping off the limb and onto the ground beside him.

He gave a soft sigh as he looked to the singed ends of his ponytail.

_He got my hair. Great, yeah. _He thought ruefully, glad he still held onto his humor.

To tell the truth, he was surprised he had survived at all. That had been a suicide jutsu. He'd felt the large fluctuation of chakra from Uchiha Sasuke when the blast began and had a sinking feeling that the bastard had survived.

_I wonder if Tobi made it out. He was always good at running._ Deidara let himself give a soft chuckle—but it ended in a wince as he coughed up a bit more blood. _Doesn't matter if I lived this long anyway, I'm just going to slowly die here in a pool of my own blood. How anticlimactic. So much for going out with a bang, yeah._

He sniffed the air, and his nose wrinkled at the charred smell of burnt trees and foliage. A thick layer of dust from the shattered stones lay across the floor of the forest. Of course, he couldn't really call it a forest anymore. Forests usually consisted of live trees, not uprooted trunks and splinters.

_How long have I been unconscious?_ He thought to himself, _A few hours? Days? Nah, it couldn't be days. I'd have already bled out, yeah._ He gingerly pulled his arm out from beneath him and felt a wave of nausea as the sudden movement jostled the fractured bone.

He gritted his teeth, surprised he hadn't bit his cheek. But the metallic tang of blood remained in his mouth from what he guessed was internal bleeding. He looked up at the sky and knew that night would soon fall, judging by the direction of the shadows from the remaining trees. The air was surprisingly cool, in stark contrast to the warm blood that continued to leak from his side.

_I'm going to freeze out here without a shirt on, yeah. _He thought wryly. He was angry at himself for his weakness. Twice he'd been bested by an Uchiha. Twice. First Itachi, than his annoying little brother.

He wondered if Sasuke would find out anything about Itachi's whereabouts. If anything, Deidara hoped that Itachi killed the little twerp. At least the less annoying of the two would live.

_If the others found out about this I'd never hear the end of it. _He inwardly groaned. _Beaten by the weakling of the Uchiha Clan. Damn, yeah._

He could just imagine the taunting he'd be in for from Kisame when he got back to the base. He blinked, giving a derisive snort. He'd be lucky to live out the night. He'd never make it back to the base. Kisame's lame jokes would have to be told to someone else.

_Not Itachi though, he'll just end up Tsukuyomi-ing him to death or something, yeah. _Deidara frowned. _Tsukuyomi-ing? Is that even a word?_ Apparently severe blood loss was starting to take its toll. He was drifting between light and darkness. His eyesight was a bit blurry, and every time he blinked it was that much harder to force his eyes open again.

He heard solid footsteps to his right, coming from the tree line. He turned his head to the side, squinting. The movement made his head swim. His eyesight was too blurry for him to make out anything from this distance as the person came closer.

The footsteps were hesitant, wary. But they soon became more confident, crunching down upon the pebbles and twigs that littered the clearing. A breeze blew past Deidara, ruffling the burnt ends of his blonde hair.

He felt more than heard the person kneel on the ground beside him. A hand hesitantly touched his chest before it was jerked back as if burned. He almost laughed. Was his rescuer _that_ afraid of blood?

He finally forced his eyes to focus, and found himself looking into absinthian depths. Their color seemed to mesmerize him. He didn't believe he'd ever seen anything that shade of green before. They were…innocent. He hadn't thought such innocence existed in this world. It was so out of place here. Her skin was pale, and the light from the setting sun seemed to outline her in a golden glow.

_Is this an angel, yeah?_ But he didn't quite believe it. After all, angels were supposed to have wings, weren't they? And surely they didn't have ridiculously large foreheads, either.

And most angels wouldn't have their hands around his throat, would they?

He looked back up into her eyes and saw that they had hardened. They were a dark, sparkling emerald now, no longer gentle. _Yet still innocent_, he mused. The pressure upon his neck wasn't too strong, as if the person were hesitating.

_Maybe she's an angel of death, yeah._ He thought acerbically, before darkness consumed him.


	2. Chapter 1: Good Morning

**Chapter 1**

**Good Morning**

Sakura walked slowly into the clearing, jade eyes wary as she scanned the area. It was covered in rubble from the explosion. She gave a soft sigh, a sad, tired sigh. He wasn't there. Once again Sasuke had slipped from their grasp. The ninja dog beside her sniffed the ground, giving a throaty woof.

Sakura nodded at the small dog. "I know. We're almost done." She had volunteered to continue scouting out the area in hopes of finding a trail to Sasuke's location. It was her fault they hadn't found him in the first place, after all. She had walked right by one of Sasuke's companions and hadn't even noticed it!

She felt incredibly stupid. She was always just a second too late. Sasuke had slithered back into the shadows and she'd been the closest one to the explosion. Why hadn't she sensed their chakra signatures before it was too late?

…was Sasuke dead? She inwardly shivered at the thought, picking through the debris. He couldn't be. He was _Sasuke_ after all. She gave a small frown, cocking her head to the side as she heard a throaty cough in the distance. Brow furrowed, she began searching for the source of the sound.

There it was again.

A knot of worry tightened inside of her chest. What if it was Sasuke? Was he hurt?

_It would serve the bastard right, _she thought for a moment, before her medic instinct took over. Someone was injured. She needed to find them, and quick. She ordered the dog to stay behind, heading off to the western side of the clearing.

The dog whined behind her and she knew that he was merely worried about letting her go alone. She wasn't a damned weakling anymore for heaven's sake! She was a kunoichi and the apprentice of Tsunade. She could handle one injured shinobi, surely.

Her footsteps seemed to echo against the ground. Sakura was still in awe of the destruction that had taken place here. Even one of Tsunade's most powerful punches couldn't make this large of an explosion. This degree of destruction was frightening.

She finally picked up on a weak chakra source to her left, jumping over a large boulder so she could see better. What she did see made her breath hitch in her throat. Lying in a pool of his own blood was the Akatsuki member Deidara.

She recognized him immediately, even without his cloak. _So he's the one who fought off Sasuke. That would explain the craters. _She knew that Deidara specialized in exploding clay jutsu.

_How much clay did he _use? She swallowed, jumping down off of the boulder. The Akatsuki always worked in pairs. Where was his partner? She scanned the area, realizing that his partner was either dead or had abandoned him.

_So much for honor amongst shinobi. What kind of a bastard leaves his teammate behind?_

She took a few more tentative steps forward. _I should let him drown in his own blood, _she thought angrily for a moment. _He and his partner killed Gaara! _Even the fact that Gaara was alright—better than alright, he could actually _sleep_ now—didn't make up for the anger she felt towards this man.

_And he's a member of the Akatsuki. All they want is Naruto. _Her blood began to boil slightly at the thought of this man. A cruel, heartless man who would give anything to take the Kyuubi from Naruto.

_And now look, you'll never get him._ She taunted silently, even as she continued walking forward. _I hope your teammate was killed. That's two less Akatsuki after all. _

But a small part of her felt guilty at her thoughts. Lying in front of her was not an s-classed criminal, but an injured man. One who was staring at her with a dim blue eye the color of the ocean. Like Naruto's eyes.

She breathed in deeply, before crossing the distance between herself and his limp body. He continued to watch her, but she could tell that he wasn't actually looking at her. Judging by the way he squinted and looked lethargic she knew he probably suffered from head trauma. Of course, after being sent flying through the woods from an explosion a person is rather likely to hit his head on something.

She knelt next to him, still wondering why she was allowing her hands to begin glowing a soft green. His eye finally focused on her—the visible one. She wondered if he recognized her. After all, she and Chiyo had killed his old partner Sasori. He probably would have blown her up right then and there if he could have.

She saw the large wound on his side. The tree limb was still jutting into him. The green leaves were stained crimson. His right arm was a mess and his left one…wasn't there. She swallowed once again, reaching out a hand to touch him. Her skin met his and she jerked back at the sensation. He was cold, but burning at the same time. He wasn't alive and he wasn't dead yet either. He was hanging somewhere in between.

Her medic skills took over as she reached forward to numb the pain before she began healing. She stopped, however, listening to his shallow breaths.

_This man killed Gaara. _

_He tried to kill Naruto._

_He tried to kill Sasuke._

And her slender fingers slowly wrapped around his throat. They stayed there, loosely placed, because she couldn't bring her fingers to tighten. The itched to do so, but they seemed almost frozen in place.

_He's a murderer! He doesn't deserve to live! Kill him!  
_

Her hands tightened, and she noticed that he continued to watch her. His look was confused for a moment, then thoughtful. Sakura didn't believe the look fit him. He was supposed to be cruel and evil. He shouldn't look so young and carefree and innocent!

_A wolf in lamb's clothing, _she thought darkly. But her hands relaxed, as realization donned.

_He has information on the Akatsuki, as well as Sasuke. If I keep him alive, I can get information out of him later._ She gave a small smile as her eyes softened. _Finally I can do something._ She wondered if he noticed her smile as he drifted into the dark world of unconsciousness.

_I'd better heal him then._

She wrapped a hand around the tree limb, bracing her other hand on his chest to keep him from struggling. This was going to hurt. She breathed in deeply before pulling the stick out. His body arched and he let out an unconscious whimper.

Sakura ignored it as more blood gushed from the hole. She hurriedly placed her hands on his side, forcing the blood to clot as she began disinfecting the wound. That was the most important step in the healing process. If she forgot to disinfect the wound before she healed it then infection could still set in. What good was healing a limb if had to be amputated later because of a medic-nin's carelessness?

If Sakura was anything she was efficient. She may not have had the unlimited chakra reserves of Naruto or a kekkei genkai like Sasuke, but she was damn good at what she did and she wouldn't have traded her job for the world.

It was true that she took lives as a shinobi but she always felt as if she gave back to the world when she healed. As if she were pardoned from her sin, just a little. It was foolish thinking, but if that was what it took to clear her conscious so she could sleep easy at night then she would let herself drown in ignorance.

She closed the wound up a bit, but she wouldn't have enough chakra to heal it completely if she was going to heal his other wounds. So she merely stopped the bleeding and pulled out a needle and some medical thread. She first made sure that both were sanitary before she began stitching the wound up.

* * *

About ten minutes later she cut the thread, satisfied with her job. She finished cleaning the wound but didn't wrap it up yet, because she still needed to place a splint in after she finished healing his three broken ribs. She sped up the bone repairing process, but she knew it was best to let the bones heal on their own for the most part. She mended the breaks without a second thought.

Then she placed the splint on him, wrapping the bandages tightly around his stomach, but not tight enough to cut off circulation. She wiped the few beads of sweat from her brow, ignoring the way the blood from her hand stuck to her face.

She gingerly touched his arm, locking it in the crook of her elbow before she pushed the bone back beneath the skin. Deidara gave another small growl of pain in his sleep. As soon as the bone was in place she began the slow process of connecting the boken halves of the bone.

The sun was quickly dropping behind the shadowed trees, dusk settling in. If she was going to make it back to the others before nightfall she'd need to hurry.

She looked to his left arm—a mere stump. For a second she considered merely cauterizing the wound, but she saw the rest of his arm lying on the ground a few feet away. She gingerly walked over to it, picking it up tentatively. She examined the mouth on his hand before she walked back over to him. He was sleeping easier now, but he was still bleeding from his arm.

She would have left his hand until she realized that any shinobi who came across it could perhaps find the secrets behind the clay molding mouth on his palm and use it to their advantage.

She looked to the severed half of his arm and bit her lip. If she succeeded in what she intended to do then it would definitely be one for the medical journals. Howevr, his body might reject the limb, even if the procedure was done successfully. Her fingers trembled as she knelt at his side once more. She supposed she could use her medical jutsu to knit the flesh back together, but it would be easier to use stitches while connecting the muscles and bones with her chakra.

_Let's do this._ She let out the breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding. She had noticed the knitting on his other arm and vaguely remembered that he'd had it blown off during their last fight.

_Those strings are different though…maybe an Akatsuki technique?_ She shook it off, clearing her mind for the task at hand. She slowly looked at the torn flesh, before pushing the needle through, beginning the long process. Her nose barely wrinkled at the smell of blood. She was a medic, and these kinds of things rarely got to her anymore. At least she could boast she had a stronger stomach than Naruto and her other companions.

After the skin was connected, the laborious task of piecing together the ripped muscles, ligaments, and shards of bone began. The sweat upon her brow seemed to freeze in the chill air.

She disregarded the droplet that slid down to her eyelid. She blinked it away furiously, ignoring its companion that slid down her nose, forming a drop at the tip that threatened to fall onto Deidara's chest.

She sat back with a small groan after what seemed like forever. The only thing left to check were the burns on his body and his head trauma. She had already discerned that he was well enough to sleep, since the concussion wasn't serious enough for him to die after she'd placed a bit of her chakra into his skull.

She didn't hear the ninja dog bark a warning until it was too late. It gave a yelp of pain and Sakura's eyes widened as she felt five chakra signatures coming up to the clearing quickly. The summoned dog had disappeared in a puff of smoke, a kunai embedded in the ground where it had once stood.

_Damn._

She crouched, picking Deidara up and throwing him over her shoulder. She launched off of the ground and into the trees. The shinobi had surrounded her while she'd been healing Deidara, successfully cutting her off from the rest of her group. She'd have to take a long way around to get back to them. It would be best to just keep going east. Kakashi would notice that the dog had been sent back to the scroll and would send reinforcements.

_But what good are those reinforcements going to do me? We've already confirmed from one of Naruto's shadow clones that a high level shinobi destroyed it and it wasn't Sasuke. It could mean other Akatsuki are in the area, here to get their teammate back._

Deidara's weight on her back didn't bother her in the slightest. Her endurance training with Gai-san and Lee had paid off immensely. But her chakra was running a little low from all the healing she'd done. She needed to find a place to rest and recuperate quickly, not to mention finish healing Deidara and keep him in a comatose state until she could find her friends. Having to deal with a _conscious_ Akatsuki member might be more than she could handle.

_Team Hebi? _She thought worriedly. But team Hebi only had four members, Sasuke included. It couldn't be them, and the chakra was unfamiliar and not as strong or focused.

_They aren't powerful enough to be Akatsuki, and the Akatsuki only travel in pairs. Damn._ She cursed again, forgetting that she'd promised herself she wouldn't continue with her sailor mouth anymore. That New Year's resolution hadn't lasted long. _The last thing I need to deal with are some enemy shinobi, especially ones I have no clue about. _A small part of her wondered if perhaps they were really their allies and had attacked the dog because they beleived he was an enemy.

But Sakura's gut feeling told her that stopping right now would mean death. And for once she let her survival instinct take over rather than logic. Screw logic. She was tired, pissy, and worried about her friends. Sakura knew it had been a bad idea to let Naruto leave Konoha. He needed to be protected, not running around in the forest practically begging for the Akatsuki to come get him.

And with his immense chakra it was as if he wore a large neon sign that stated: hi, I'm the jinchuuriki you need, please come rip out my demon! She grunted at the small joke, shifting Deidara's weight on her back.

_I thought a skinny guy like him would be lighter, _she thought grumpily. Two of the enemy shinobi had split off from the group, one coming around to her right, the other to her left in an attempt to cut her off from any hope of escape.

She wouldn't make it another mile without being closed in from all sides. She needed to fight. She hurriedly did hand signs, hoping Deidara wouldn't fall off her back before she summoned her clone. She handed Deidara to the clone, still running. The clone disappeared into the forest, and Sakura threw up a kunai just in time to block the four shuriken thrown at her.

The clang of metal against metal echoed as Sakura crouched into a battle position. The shinobi landed on the ground in front of her. She took in the sight of him. He was perhaps in his late twenties, early thirties, easy enough on the eyes she supposed, although she didn't really go for guys with beards. She hurriedly shut off the useless banter, taking in the more important aspects of the man in front of her. His headband showed he was from Waterfall, and he had a scar covering the left side of his face going from his temple to his top lip. There was no slash over his headband, but that wasn't saying much. Most shinobi from Waterfall were rogue-nin and not all rogue-nin slashed their forehead protectors.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked, trying to calm her taut nerves. She felt the other shinobi coming up behind her—he'd be there in a minute. The other three would take about five minutes to get to where she was, but that was assuming that they would continue their steady pace and not rush towards the spot at full speed now that Sakura had stopped.

The man sneered, making his scar hitch up to his hairline. "You're the Gondaime Hokage's apprentice, aren't you?"

_I hate my hair, _Sakura mumbled to herself. The pink locks were easily recognizable. _And shinobi are taught to learn to blend into their surroundings effortlessly. I was a _great_ candidate from the start, wasn't I?_ She thought sarcastically.

Sakura didn't answer the man's question as she reached into her weapons pouch. Her fingers brushed against the cold, reassuring steel of a kunai.

Soft footsteps behind her told her that the second shinobi had arrived. She looked out of the corner of her eye at him—or rather her. She was a kunoichi, probably a year or so younger than the man. She also wore the Waterfall insignia as a necklace around her throat. Both sported Jônin vests.

_I can't hold out against Jônin! _She wailed silently.

"Who's the kid?" The woman drawled. Sakura's fingers tightened around the kunai.

"Someone encroaching on our territory, that's who." The man murmured.

The woman gave a dark laugh. "How unfortunate for her." Sakura noticed that her sleeves were long and billowed. She was probably using them to conceal some type of weapon. Sakura shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

_It doesn't matter if I _can_ defeat them. _Her eyes hardened a bit. _I _will_ defeat them. I won't be a burden any longer._

"I think the little girl is going to try and fight us." The woman continued, still laughing. "That's rich."

The three others were quickly approaching. She needed to reduce the numbers of her opponents swiftly. She threw the kunai, not surprised in the least that the man caught it. She jumped into the air, showering the two with shuriken. The woman dodged out of the way while the man parried with his own kunai.

Sakura slammed her foot down, crashing through the tree as the man rolled to the side to avoid her.

"You _are_ the Hokage's apprentice." The man chuckled. "This will be interesting."

_Calm down Sakura. You've defeated an Akatsuki member. You can so do this!_

_Um, actually, Chiyo killed him, and to be more specific he _allowed_ his parents to stab him so that isn't much of a comfort._ She thought acerbically as she dodged the man's fist. He seemed to prefer taijutsu, which was good for her.

She saw a glint of steel in the last few rays of light from the sun and jumped backwards, seeing the blade end of a fundo kusari swing past her. A red line appeared on her nose, but she ignored the sting and the few crimson droplets that welled up from the cut.

_Chain scythe. So that's what she was hiding in her sleeves._ Sakura hurriedly calculated the situation. Two Jônin level shinobi who probably had at least ten more years of experience than her each. Not to mention the fact that they were most likely rested and had all their chakra, unlike herself.

She dodged another of the man's attacks, kicking forward. Instead of dodging he blocked—a fatal mistake. Blood splattered through area and the sickening sound of bones snapping filled the forest. He let out a howl of pain, which gave Sakura enough time to activate her mystical palm technique, brushing a hand over his heart. He dropped like a stone. She'd severed the blood flow to the heart.

The woman let out a rather extraordinary curse that Sakura had never heard before. She tucked it away in the back of her mind for later use as she dodged the woman's chains.

"What the hell happened here?"

_Great. The rest of them are here._ Sakura growled as she flipped backwards to avoid more kunai and shuriken.

"She killed Atsushi-san." The woman ground out. "The bitch is going to die here and now."

Two of the shinobi looked to be around her age, maybe a few years older. They wore Chûnin vests. The third was a large, bulky man with arm muscles thicker than her waist.

"Let me handle it then." The muscled man spoke in a deep baritone. "It won't be difficult, she's probably a shrimp."

"She's strong. Atsushi-san said she was the Hokage's apprentice."

"The one with insane strength?" One of the Chûnin asked.

"Hai. Look what she did to Atsushi-san with one hit."

If Sakura were anyone else she would have been irked that they didn't view her as enough of a threat to stop their idle chatter. But this merely gave her time to think, which was a deadly weapon in the pink-haired kunoichi's hands.

"We'll see." The man lunged. Sakura grabbed his fists with her hands, caught in a deadlock. He pushed against her, trying to make her buckle beneath his strength. She pushed back and had the satisfaction to see him slide a few feet backwards against the wood of the tree branch.

Sakura knew that the others weren't going to stand idly by, even as the man summoned all his strength into his arms, shoving down. Sakura's arms were locked and burning from the strain as she saw the two Chûnin lunge at her from both sides, holding kunai.

Sakura stopped resisting the man, falling backwards onto her back with a grunt as the man lost his balance and began falling. She kicked him in the stomach, throwing him to the side with her foot as she stood.

A kunai ripped into her arm, but she once again ignored the sharp pain as she blocked a kick from the first Chûnin. The other Chûnin pulled out an umbrella as Sakura dodged the oncoming attacks of his partner. He threw the umbrella into the air and it twirled, showing the area where Sakura stood with poisoned senbon.

The muscled man stood, smirking at the prone figure lying before them, looking like a pin-cushion—before it disappeared in a puff of smoke to reveal a log.

"Substitu—" The first Chûnin didn't finish as he fell. Sakura's glowing green hands severed his spinal chord. Even if he survived he wouldn't be able to move his limbs for the rest of his life.

Sakura grabbed the man's body before it fell completely to the ground as the senbon from another umbrella shot down at her. She felt the blood drip onto her skin, and heard the Chûnin's unconscious, dying wheezes. She disliked the idea of using him as a shield, but she had promised herself that she had to survive this.

She wasn't going to be taken out by some unknown Waterfall Shinobi.

_Besides, I still have to beat the whereabouts of Sasuke and the Akatsuki out of Deidara. I'm not giving in yet. _

The remaining Chûnin snarled as he charged at her, throwing three more umbrellas into the air. Sakura slammed her hand into a tree, splintering the trunk which fell forwards. She ducked behind it, hearing the soft thud of the weapons as they dug into the bark.

As soon as the onslaught ended she grabbed the trunk like a club, yelling out a battle cry as she swept it towards the Chûnin. It slammed into his body and the crunching sound of his entire body caving in on itself was sickening. Sakura ignored the blood splatters across her face and body as she dropped the tree, heading towards the muscled man.

She choked as a chain wrapped around her throat and her waist, pulling her backwards through the air. She slammed into another tree, feeling the splinters jut into her skin. She let out a small gasp of pain, coughing.

Then she was thrown through the air once more. Sakura felt like a rag doll as she was continually slammed into tree after tree. Her shoulder blade was going to break soon if she didn't do something.

_Still weak Sakura…still a burden…_

She grabbed onto the chains, gritting her teeth as she summoned some of her strength and snapped the chain from around her neck. It fell to the ground with a clunk and the Jônin kunoichi cursed at her predicament.

She threw her other fundo kusari, and Sakura dodged to the left. The blade sunk into the soft bark of the tree that had been behind Sakura, and the woman desperately tried to pull it out. But Sakura leapt up, using the taut chain as a bridge and running towards the woman who continued tugging on her weapon.

She let out a cry of surprise as Sakura slammed into her—rather ungracefully—her kunai thrusting into the woman's throat. More blood splattered onto Sakura's face. She would probably never wash the crimson stain completely from her skin.

As she and the woman's lifeless body fell to the forest floor, Sakura landed on top of her as they hit the ground. The jolt of the impact made her bones ache, but she only allowed herself a small gasp for air before she rolled off of the woman's body just as several kunai found themselves embedded in the woman's back.

The last member of the Waterfall shinobi landed on the ground beside her, stirring up dust as his feet planted themselves squarely in the dirt. She slowly pulled herself up, breathing heavily. She had no chakra left. She was wounded. What else could go wrong?

And that was when it began raining.

Sakura blinked as the first few, tentative drops hit her face and the muscled shinobi walked towards her, murderous intent evident in his eyes. He was going to make her pay for what she'd done to his teammates.

She swallowed, reaching for another kunai. The man grabbed her collar, picking her up with a jerking motion. "You little bitch!" He growled, slamming her against the tree behind her. Her kunai dropped.

_Damn I really am going to break that shoulder. _She thought. She grabbed onto the man, digging her fingernails into his arm. He didn't seem to notice as he continued squeezing the life out her, just like she'd tried to do with Deidara. _What goes around comes around, I guess._

She felt all the air leaving her lungs and she gasped for breath, choking as she clawed at him madly.

"I'm going to watch you squirm." The man hissed.

Sakura's own eyes narrowed as she gathered the last vestiges of chakra to her fingers, reaching out and pressing her fingers against whatever she could. His chest. There was a moment of silence as their eyes locked, before his rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground, sending Sakura toppling down with him.

She was soaked from the rain that continued to fall faster now. At least the rain would wash away some of the blood. She sat up, letting herself take deep breaths to replenish her oxygen supply. Her clone jumped down beside her and Sakura was too surprised to even jump at its sudden appearance. Sakura's chakra in the clone gave out and it disappeared—making Deidara land in her mud coated lap.

Sakura gritted as his full weight fell onto her sore legs. She continued to sit there, breathing in deeply and wallowing in despair at the thought of spending the night on the muddy ground of the forest floor.

_We'll both die here if I don't move._

She forced herself to stand, once again throwing Deidara over her shoulder. She finally felt the weight of him fully in her fatigued state. She _knew_ that they must have been near a town. Where else could Sasuke have recuperated so quickly from his battle to run from Sakura and the others?

"It has to be just past these trees." Sakura murmured to herself more than to Deidara. It wasn't as if he could respond in his state. She figured she would get herself and Deidara to an inn, rest up a bit, and then head off to find Kakashi, Naruto, and the others.

Of course, this plan would only work if she managed to get them to an inn for the night. So Sakura picked up her speed, ignoring the cut on her arm, the pain in her back, and the stinging that the sweat from her brow evoked in the wound on her nose.

She almost tripped in her exhaustion as she spotted the lights twinkling through the darkness of the trees. The rain continued to pelt her, and she was officially freezing. Her teeth chattered, and she knew that Deidara wasn't any better than her. Actually, he was probably worse off.

Every step she took towards the inn seemed harder than the last. Her fingers and feet were freezing. They trembled as she gripped Deidara tighter just to get the feeling back into them.

She reached the door, knocking wearily. It creaked open and a man looked at her warily, immediately seeing that she was a ninja. "Yes?"

"I need a room for the night."

"How many?" His eyes flickered to Deidara.

"One." Sakura grumbled. She needed to keep tabs on Deidara. She wasn't in the mood to argue with the innkeeper.

"Ah." The man nodded, eyes still suspicious. He took in her bloodied, soaking wet form and the man on her back one more time before he opened the door enough for her to enter.

Sakura trudged up the stairs behind the man. _Why couldn't the room have been on the first floor? _She inwardly groaned. Her legs were on fire."Could you bring up some extra towels? I may need them to dress my companion's wounds."

The man looked a bit distressed. "Do you need me to call the local doctor?" Sakura realized that he probably dealt with shinobi frequently and knew what to do when they came to his inn injured.

Sakura shook her head. "We'll manage, thank you." That translated of course as: I'm a medic-nin, I can handle it. The innkeeper took it in stride. "Would you like me to send up some food?"

"That would be wonderful. How much for the rooms?"

The man snorted. "Don't worry about the pay until the morning. See to your friend."

Sakura was a bit taken aback by that, but merely nodded. "Arigato." She had opened her mouth to tell him that Deidara was _not_ her friend, but decided against it. They stopped in front of a door and the man unlocked it, showing Sakura the room.

Sakura smiled her thanks once more before the man disappeared to go and get her food and she sagged underneath the weight of Deidara, allowing herself a moment of weakness away from prying eyes.

She didn't want him to get blood all over the bed so she merely placed him on the floor, a pool of water collecting around the two of them as she sagged off her drenched cloak. It made a squelching sound as it hit the wood, becoming a pathetic looking bundle of wet cloth.She couldn't even say it was a cloak anymore.

Deidara let out a shaky cough and Sakura immediately knelt next to him. It felt so good to be off of her feet. They ached terribly, but she didn't have any time to think about it.

She looked over his wounds, seeing that he'd reopened the one on his side, the blood staining the white bandages. Sakura gritted her teeth as she began the long, tedious task of fixing him up.

* * *

Sakura finished cleaning her hands in the small bowl of warm water that sat before her and smiled triumphantly—albeit tiredly—at her success. Deidara was sleeping peacefully, looking as normal as the first time she'd seen him. She wouldn't be surprised if he awoke and began throwing clay birds at her.

She had stripped him off his wet clothing and placed him on the bed beneath the sheets, paying his body about as much attention as she did any of the corpses she had done autopsies on or the embarrassed young men she'd had to examine for their yearly physicals.

She wouldn't lie and say he wasn't err…_very_ anatomically correct, but she'd seen her fair share of good looking representatives of the male sex and she wasn't going to let it faze her. She ignored the smart blush on her cheeks as she wrapped her blanket tighter around herself, sipping her hot cup of tea. She held it for a second, letting the steam hit her chilled face and the hot ceramic cup scald her freezing fingers. She was naked beneath her blanket as well, having stripped down after the kind innkeeper had brought her some food.

He'd left murmuring something about how horrible it was that children were becoming killers. Sakura wouldn't exactly call herself a child! She looked down at her breasts. _Well, I'm not exactly graced in the chest department, so it's no wonder everyone thinks I'm a twelve-year-old girl._ She sighed as she shifted in the blanket again. She only had her small one since she'd already piled three of them—after having asked the innkeeper for extras—around Deidara to keep him from freezing. But the temperature of the night had seemed to drop dramatically, and both of them were still frozen stiff from their wet clothes, so it wasn't a surprise to Sakura when she saw that he was still shivering.

She placed her cup down with a sigh before she walked over to the bed. She stared down at his shivering form for a moment.

_He's going to catch something and die if I don't bring his temperature up. The blankets aren't helping._

_It doesn't matter, he deserves it doesn't he?_

She frowned, before giving a small groan of frustration, and then a deep blush. _I'm not going to let him die on me after wasting so much of my chakra on him._ She gulped, ignoring how uncomfortable she felt as she slipped beneath the covers.

Sharing body heat like this, skin-to-skin, would warm Deidara up quickly. It was what Sakura had been taught from her beginning days as a shinobi: sharing body warmth will let you survive longer in the cold then three cloaks.

So Sakura shifted uncomfortably against the man next to her on the bed. His skin was frigid to the touch, so Sakura rubbed her own hands over his arms and chest to warm them.

He still slept peacefully, which was a good thing. She'd given him a little something earlier that would make him sleep for a long while—enough time for her to sleep and then wake up before he did.

She felt so _tired_.

The body beside her shivered—and so did Sakura. Only her shiver wasn't because of the cold. She couldn't ignore the fact that he felt very nice with that small bit of heat beginning to radiate off of him. She knew that her face matched the color of her hair and probably beyond that, as she cuddled up against him, wrapping her arms around his body. She's never felt so exposed and embarrassed before.

_I'm a medic-nin. The well-being of my patients comes before my own feelings. _Or at least, that's what she told herself over and over again until she finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Deidara awoke, he felt warmth encompassing him and all he could see was white. _Wow. Didn't think I'd actually make it to heaven, yeah._ He breathed in and winced at the small soreness in his chest.

_If I'm dead then why the hell do I still hurt, yeah? _He spotted the bandage around his chest, before his eyes trailed to his left arm. He tentatively tried to move his fingers and was greeted with the wonderful feeling of watching them move. How had his arm been reattached?

He heard a soft sigh beside him and turned to look—before letting out a horrified choke. _My god!_ It was the angel from before. She was lying naked beneath the blankets…with _him_. She was curled up on the other side of the bed, arms tucked beneath her head as a pillow.

_I defiled an angel. I am definitely going to hell, yeah._ He gave an inward groan. He blinked a few more times as he got a good look at her. Pink hair…where had he seen pink hair before? It was so _familiar_.

_She's younger than my usual women…_He gave a crooked grin. _And smaller in the chest too, yeah. _But as he looked at her pale body stretched out against the white sheets he realized that the look fit her. Innocent.

_I wish I could remember what happened. Sex with an angel has to be something special, yeah._ He let out a small laugh—and that was when his angel opened her eyes.

She blinked sleepily a few times, long lashes dusting pale cheeks. Then her eyes opened completely and she stared at him for what seemed like eternity.

"Good morning, yeah." Deidara greeted, grinning.

* * *

**(A\N: Hehehe…another cliffhanger. Yay for being evil! So, I hoped you all liked it. Not much Deidara in this chapter—but then again he was unconscious—so there will be more of him in the next one, of course. :)**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)**


	3. Chapter 2: The Inn

**Chapter 2**

**The Inn**

_He let out a small laugh—and that was when his angel opened her eyes._

_She blinked sleepily a few times, long lashes dusting soft cheeks. Then her eyes opened completely and she stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. _

_"Good morning, yeah." Deidara greeted, grinning._

* * *

She shrieked. 

It came out as a high-pitched wail as she shot out of the blankets, grabbing one of them and wrapping it around her body. "You aren't supposed to be awake yet, you, you, _pervert_!"

She saw the way his eyes trailed down her body. How long had he been watching her—_naked_—before she'd woken up? _He could have molested me!_ She opened her mouth to yell again when she remembered that, of all people, she probably wouldn't be someone you'd want to molest. _Maybe if he was desperate,_ she muttered to herself.

Deidara sighed. "You could try being a little nicer. I'm the one who just woke up with a little angel in my bed, yeah." _She's cuter when she's angry._

Sakura's cheeks turned redder as she stared at the man lying on his side, his lower half covered by the remaining two blankets. He was grinning arrogantly, and that irked her.

"I was sharing body heat with you, you idiot!" She snapped out. "So wipe that smug smile off your face."

_Only body heat? Damn, she looks like she could have been fun. _And that was when Deidara recognized her. "_You_." His eyes flashed as he tried to sit up fully on the bed. "You killed Sasori-danna!"

He couldn't sit up completely, because pain erupted from his side. He pressed a hand to the bandages, giving a grimace. So he'd been right, he'd broken some ribs.

Sakura gave a loud sigh. "Why does everyone seem to think it was _me_ who killed him?" She couldn't help but give a small smirk at the way his arrogant demeanor had faded. "And don't think you're getting out of bed, either." She ignored her semi-nude state as she walked over to the side of the bed he was lying on._ I'd better check his progress._

"You're the Kyuubi's friend." Deidara stated, eyes narrowed a bit. _The girl with the insane strength, yeah._

She pressed a hand to his temple, giving him a level look. "I'm _Naruto's_ friend, actually." He felt chakra flowing through him and he couldn't do much to stop it at the moment. His arms felt like lead, and his ankle was still sore. The cuts and burns he'd once had had been healed a bit but they still needed to finish healing naturally. It made his skin feel tight.

"…why did you save me, yeah?" That one question had been in the back of his mind ever since he had awoken. Even when he'd believed she was an angel, he'd wondered how someone so innocent could save someone like him. But now that he knew she was a shinobi—an _enemy_ shinobi—he was even more confused.

She tsked, as if thinking the answer was obvious. "You fought off Sasuke, didn't you?"

Deidara's eyes flashed angrily. "I fought that little bastard, yeah."

"He isn't a bastard!" Sakura defended with a gasp.

Deidara smirked at her flustered face. "Call him what you will."

"Why did he attack you? I mean, you wouldn't have attacked him. He doesn't have anything you would want." It was almost a question.

He shrugged. "I'm Akatsuki." As if that was the answer she needed. Sakura opened her mouth to tell him to be more specific when she realized just what his answer implied. He was in the Akatsuki. Itachi was in the Akatsuki.

"So he wanted you for information on Itachi." Sakura muttered, checking over his still-healing wounds.

"You're smart, yeah." Deidara grunted. "Mind getting your hands off of me and letting me go?"

"And why would I do that?" Sakura asked. And then she found herself pinned to the bed, arms above her head. The tips of his hair brushed her bare collarbone as he stared down at her with a smirk.

"Don't forget who you're dealing with, yeah."

"I haven't." Sakura answered back, "I implanted some anesthetic into you when I was assessing your body."

Deidara felt a tingling sensation shoot through his body before it dropped on top of hers. "Damn, yeah!" Deidara cursed, his lips becoming numb. His entire body felt like rubber.

Sakura hadn't planned on that. He was heavy. His breathing was labored as he murmured curses at her through numb lips. She tried to shift underneath his weight—which merely made the blanket she had wrapped herself in get pushed off. Her skin met his and she couldn't help the blush that continued to stain her cheeks.

"When I'm healed I'll…yeah…" Deidara managed to mutter against her collarbone.

"When you're healed you'll be heading to Konohagakure with myself and my team." Sakura admonished, trying to think of a way to get him off of her. She was still sore from her encounter with the shinobi from Waterfall.

"Che." She heard Deidara grunt against her. The feeling of his warm breath against her skin made it tingle. He continued making nonsensical noises as the anesthetic turned his body to a heap of jelly. For a second she listened, trying to decipher what he was saying until she realized that he was _laughing_.

"What's so funny?"

"You, angel, yeah." Deidara muttered, lips brushing against her collarbone once more. "You aren't going to be able to get out of this area alive, yeah."

Sakura bristled. "You can't do anything—"

"It's not me you should be worried about, yeah." Deidara drawled. "No doubt the rest of your team is finding out that the Akatsuki aren't the only ones who are after Konoha blood."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Waterfall…"

"So you met them, yeah."

Sakura gave a small grunt, placing her hands on his shoulders. "You could say that. Five of them are lying on the forest floor at the moment." She pushed, but her arms locked in place and she only managed to lift him up enough so that he was staring into her eyes, face-to-face.

"They're patrolling this entire area." Deidara smirked. "They know that the Kyuubi is here yeah, and they want to eliminate him and any of his teammates."

"…why?" Sakura croaked out.

Deidara merely continued to smirk and Sakura's eyes narrowed as realization donned. "The Akatsuki hired them to help capture Naruto…" She felt her anger rise as she pushed him off of her completely. He fell back against the bed, making a face. She sat up, staring at him, eyes wide.

"I have to go warn Kakashi-sensei and the others!" She jumped off of the bed, scuttling for her clothes. She didn't even seem to remember that she was naked in front of him as she dropped the blanket and slipped on her bra and underwear.

Deidara enjoyed the view, waiting for the right moment to break the news to her. When she'd finally slipped on her tantalizingly short skirt over her tight black shorts he spoke up.

"No doubt the rest of the Waterfall-nin have cut you off from your friends already, yeah. There's no way to get to them now."

Sakura froze, her shirt zipped up halfway. She turned to stare at him unbelievingly. "You mean I'm…we're…"

"Stuck here, yeah."

"But they won't hurt you." Sakura frowned. "Because _you're_ their ally." She gritted her teeth, raking a hand through her hair as she began pacing in front of the bed. "Damn! Naruto and the others are right in the middle of it."

"Actually, if they're still near the crater they'll be close enough to the border to escape, yeah." Deidara tried to shrug nonchalantly but he couldn't, so he made do with a sly smile.

Sakura just stared.

"Do you know what that means, yeah?"

She didn't blink, her jade orbs boring into his ocean blue.

"It means you're trapped here, yeah."

…

…

…

"With me."

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto gasped out, looking around the clearing. "She isn't here! Where could Sakura-chan be?" 

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed as he spotted the place his ninja dog had been destroyed, cutting Sakura off from the rest of the group. Akamaru gave a soft whine beside them, and Kiba blinked.

"Hinata, use your Byakugan." Kiba murmured. "Over to the east."

Hinata nodded, "H-hai!" She activated it and let out a small gasp. "Oh no!"

"What is it?" Shino asked.

"Waterfall shinobi." Hinata whispered.

"And they don't smell friendly." Kiba grunted. Akamaru gave another soft whine. Kiba's eyes widened, "WHAT?"

"What did he say?" Naruto nearly pounced on Kiba, waiting for an answer.

Kiba swallowed. "Akamaru says he smells Sakura's blood on them."

…

…

…

There was a long moment of silence.

"B-but he says it's not enough blood to be fatal." Kiba immediately began again, not liking the somber, shocked faces in front of him. "Maybe they just cut her with their kunai before she got away."

…

…

…

"I'll send out my kikai." Shino commented softly.

"How long do we have until the shinobi arrive?" Kakashi asked calmly.

"A few minutes."

"How many are there?"

"Sixteen."

There was another long moment of silence. Sakura couldn't have run from sixteen well trained shinobi.

"We have to retreat." Yamato commented. He and Sai had been silent as usual.

Naruto turned on them, growling, "We can't. Sakura-chan is out there somewhere. She could be hurt!"

"Naruto, our number one priority is to keep you safe and out of the hands of the Akatsuki."

"But these _aren't_ Akatsuki! They're Waterfall shinobi." Naruto argued.

"The Akatsuki are still out there as well." Shino spoke.

Naruto opened his mouth to argue, before he clamped it shut. "I'm not going without her."

"Naruto…" Kakashi began sternly.

Naruto shook his head. "Sakura-chan would never leave without me. I'm not going to abandon her." _I won't leave her on some damn bench to fend for herself,_ he thought bitterly.

"I wish I didn't have to do this." Kakashi murmured. Naruto furrowed his brow as he turned to his sensei.

"Do…what?" Naruto's eyes dimmed and slid shut as he slumped forward. Kiba caught him with a grunt as Kakashi placed his headband back over his Sharingan eye. He gave a soft sigh.

"Are we r-really going to leave her?" Hinata whispered.

"We have to get Naruto back to Konoha." Yamato said firmly.

"Ugly will be fine." Sai spoke calmly, with that fake smile of his. However, it seemed as if he were trying to reassure himself when he'd said it.

* * *

Sakura smiled at the innkeeper, handing him the money she owed for the night. He looked at her questioningly. Maybe it was because he saw the fact that her teammate wasn't with her, or that she wasn't carrying her traveling pack, or perhaps it was because she'd handed him a lot more money than she owed. 

"I'll need to stay a while longer to help my companion heal." Sakura answered back, looking frustrated at the predicament.

The man nodded, his face suspicious. "Very well."

"I know this may sound awkward, but do you have any extra clothing I could borrow?"

"Uh, nothing in your size, miss." The man coughed.

"Oh!" Sakura smiled brightly at him. "It's not for me. It's for my companion." She still couldn't get herself to call him her teammate. She couldn't get herself to lie like that.

The man gave her his own smile, even if it was strained. He seemed as if he didn't do much smiling these days. Of course, running an inn that was usually inhabited by dangerous shinobi made it difficult to find something to smile _about_.

"I'll be right back." The man walked into a back room and Sakura remained at the counter, surveying the area. Last night she'd sensed a few presences in the hotel, other guests she presumed. They were still in their rooms, sleeping. Judging by their chakra levels she could tell they weren't shinobi. That was good. The last thing she needed was for someone to try and attack her or Deidara in the middle of the night.

The innkeeper walked back out, holding up a shirt and some slacks. They were patched and worn, but useable. She took them with a grateful smile. "Thank you." She bowed her head to him before she bounded up the stairs, taking two at a time.

The longer she left Deidara to himself the worst trouble he'd probably get into.

She found him where she'd left him on the bed. He was sitting up, propped against the headboard with an annoyed frown. She threw the clothes into his lap, placing a hand on her hip. "There you go."

He wrinkled his nose at them, giving a sigh. "You've got to be kidding, yeah."

"Nope." Sakura commented with a grin. She was enjoying torturing him immensely.

"I can't move." Deidara coughed. "The anesthetic hasn't worn off."

Sakura stopped grinning as a blush covered her cheeks. "Uh. I guess that means I'll have to…er…" _You've dressed bodies after surgery before. Don't be a baby!_ She cleared her throat. "Well, I'll help then."

He gave a grin as she awkwardly picked up the clothes and then stared back at him. "Well…let's get started then." She gritted her teeth in determination as she picked up the shirt and shoved it over his head.

"Hey! Be careful yeah! You're ruining my hair."

Sakura frowned as she slipped his arms inside of the sleeves, mindful of his wounds.

Deidara couldn't help but notice how gentle she became the moment she noticed their wounds. When he had been with Sasori all he'd seen was the abrasive, tough side of the pink-haired girl. _She sure as hell wasn't an angel then._ He thought a bit morbidly. He looked up to see her staring down at the sheet that covered him from the waist down. She swallowed, and he smirked.

She looked to the pants, then back at him. He seemed to be enjoying her discomfort immensely. She then pursed her lips as she slipped the blanket off, sitting on the edge of the bed. She didn't even look past his calves as she slipped the pants legs around his feet.

_Don't look. Don't look. Don't look._ She thought as she pulled them up a bit more. She was at his knee caps now…_don't look, don't look, don't look…_She blinked as she then realized that not only had she been looking…but she'd been _staring_.

"Like what you see, yeah?" Deidara asked jokingly.

She stared up at him with a bright blush and a glare, "I've seen bigger." She snapped at him instantly. That would wound that self-centered male pride of his.

Deidara raised an eyebrow. "Wow. And here I thought you were an angel yeah."

She squeaked, yanking his pants up all the way. "N-not like _that_!" She looked back up at his face to see him laughing at her.

She resisted the urge to hit him like she always did to Naruto when he got on her nerves. _Naruto…_her gaze softened a bit. _I wonder how you're doing? Are you and Kakashi-sensei and the others ok?_

Deidara noticed her worried gaze immediately. Her emotions seemed to change so abruptly.

_She's probably afraid to be stuck here yeah._ He thought with an inward sigh. _And I'm not about to tell her that I'm not exactly on good terms with those Waterfall shinobi either, yeah. They wouldn't think twice about coming here to kill me in my weakened state._ And that meant that he had to rely solely on Sakura's abilities to keep both of them safe.

_Damn we're screwed, yeah._

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes groggily. He felt as if he'd been drugged. The last thing he remembered was…Naruto jolted up out of the bed. "Sakura-chan!" 

He was lying in his bed in his small apartment. Sitting on the chair next to him was Kakashi, who was calmly reading his book.

"Kakashi-sensei! How could you!" Naruto growled. "I thought you said that you should never abandon a teammate!"

Kakashi looked slowly over at Naruto, and Naruto could tell that he hated himself for his decision as well. "Naruto. I either lost one student or both of them. I had to take the lesser of the two evils…"

Naruto remained silent. _So Sakura-chan was sacrificed to keep me alive._ He thought bitterly.

"We're going to send out a team to go find her, but we're having a hard time getting through the lines of Waterfall shinobi." Kakashi commented.

"Do you think Teme had something to do with it?" Naruto asked softly.

Kakashi didn't know what to tell Naruto. So he said the first thing that came to mind. "I don't think Sasuke would care enough to kidnap or kill her."

Naruto didn't know if that thought should comfort him or not.

* * *

"You can feed yourself. You arms have regained their feeling by now." Sakura muttered as she placed the bowl of rice in front of him. 

He nodded at her, looking at the bowl suspiciously.

"If I wanted to kill you I wouldn't do it by poisoning your food." Sakura mumbled under her breath as she took a bite of her own rice. He slowly nodded, picking up his chopsticks. His fingers still tingled from the anesthetic, but he could move now.

Of course, his mobility was still limited. His wounds kept him from running. And so did the knowledge that the moment he left the hotel he'd be attacked by Waterfall shinobi.

They ate in silence, and Deidara sighed. He hated silence. Perhaps he could get a little information about the Kyuubi out of the girl. He hid a smirk as he spoke, "You're from Konoha, ne?"

"…hai."

"What's it like there, yeah?"

Sakura blinked, "It's nice. Especially in spring when all the flowers are blooming."

"I wish I'd grown up in a place like that, yeah." Deidara stretched a bit, wincing as his broken ribs creaked. "Would've been better than Stone."

Sakura shrugged. "No place is perfect."

"Che. Stone is _far_ from perfect, yeah." Deidara took another bite of rice. "And all they have there are _rocks_."

Sakura tried to stifle her giggle at the face he made but couldn't help herself. "Th-that's why it's called _Stone_, ne?"

Deidara shrugged. "Well, your entire village isn't made up of _leaves_, is it, yeah?"

Sakura smiled. "No. But we have a lot of trees." She gave a soft sigh as if she were remembering something. "There's this really large cherry tree in my backyard that my father planted when my parents were married. It was the first tree I learned to climb using my chakra before I went to Mist."

Deidara smiled back at her. "Mist?"

Sakura nodded. "Hai!" she seemed to be overjoyed with the fact that she could talk to someone about it. "That was when we met up with Zabuza Momochi and his apprentice Haku."

"Zabuza Momochi?' Deidara raised an eyebrow. "One of the legendary swordsmen of the mist, yeah?" _Like Kisame._

Sakura nodded. "Hai." She stopped, her eyes becoming sad. "That was before everything happened…before Orochimaru…"

"Eck, that snake bastard should burn, yeah. At least he's dead." Deidara shrugged.

Sakura looked at him, perplexed. "But he's not. Not really. I mean, Kabuto has him in his body and—" She slapped a hand over her mouth in horror at what she'd said, eyes wide. She'd just given valuable information to the Akatsuki! _You damn idiot!!!!_

"W-what?" Deidara coughed out, choking on a bite of rice. "That medic brat took Orochimaru into his _body_ yeah?"

Sakura looked down at her bowl. "Er…yeah…" She finished in a soft whisper. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Deidara looked out the window, digesting the information. _So the bastard's still alive, yeah. Damn. He's just like a cockroach…he'll never die. _He clenched his hand and his jaw tightened as his eyes narrowed. _If Leader-sama doesn't know this already I need to get the information to him immediately, yeah._

"Taking someone else into your body is forbidden in Konohagakure." Sakura murmured. "Especially from a medical standpoint."

"So Kabuto took him into his body. Were there any signs of resistance from Orochimaru's subconscious, yeah?" Deidara turned to look at her.

She looked as if she were unsure with the answer, and then shrugged. _Once I get him to Konoha it won't matter if he knows. _"Apparently Orochimaru has taken over at least thirty percent of his body."

"Persistent bastard, yeah." Deidara commented absently. "So do you think he could completely take over Kabuto's body?"

"Later on?" Sakura asked offhandedly. "I suppose so. Medically it's possible."

"Che. He'll be stronger than before, yeah." Deidara cursed.

"It doesn't matter." Sakura admonished. "Sasuke defeated him before. He can beat him again."

Deidara let out a laugh, which made her bristle like an angry dog. "The only reason the little Uchiha bastard defeated Orochimaru is because the Kyuubi weakened him, yeah."

Sakura's eyes narrowed when Deidara said _Uchiha bastard_. She merely stared him levelly in the eye. "Then what was his reason for kicking your ass, Deidara? Naruto wasn't there beforehand, I believe."

_Touché. _He raised an eyebrow in challenge, as he ignored the attack on his pride. "He's strong, I'll admit, yeah. Too strong for _you_ to fight." He admonished.

Sakura knew that it was meant as an insult, but she'd heard similar words for most of her life. She'd become numb to them, even if just a little. "I know." It came out as a soft whisper.

He hadn't thought she'd take his words like that. He'd wanted her to yell and snap at him, not hunch over and look as if she would cry. _She's probably known all her life that she'll never be a match for her teammates, yeah._

_Well, one of them has the Sharingan and the other has the Kyuubi!_ Part of him defended. _For not having any kekkei genkai or demon she's doing great, yeah. _He remembered her insane strength with a slight shiver.

And she'd brought him back from the brink of death. Not only that but she'd reattached his arm! He'd thought only Kakuzu could do something like that.

"So, he was your teammate once, right yeah?"

"…hai."

"Che. It's inevitable that teammates go their separate ways. Get used to it, yeah." Deidara spoke callously. He'd rather have her mad at him than moping. She looked cuter when she was angry.

"That's not true!" Sakura bit back. "You wouldn't understand. You're a _missing-nin _after all. You don't know anything about loyalty to your friends and your village."

_Oh I know all about loyalty, _he thought darkly. _And betrayal too, yeah. You aren't the only person to have a teammate turn on you._

"You're a bit emotional for a shinobi, aren't you yeah?"

Sakura opened her mouth to retort but shut it instead, huffing. "Tell me something I don't know. Maybe some of us just aren't emotionless bastards with a stick up their ass."

_Well, she just described Itachi perfectly, _Deidara grinned. "I have a feeling you're talking about someone in particular, yeah."

Sakura didn't say anything as she stood. "I'm going to go take a shower. Don't leave the room."

"Don't order me around, yeah." Deidara warned.

"You're my prisoner." Sakura called, looking back at him. "So unfortunately for you, you have to do what I want you to. Get some rest. Your wounds need time to heal." _Until I can think of a way to escape here and get us both to Konoha…_

Deidara frowned, but said nothing as the bathroom door closed behind her.

_Just wait until I'm healed, little angel. Then I'll show you who's in charge here, yeah._

* * *

She came out of the bathroom in a long-sleeved, overly large shirt that brushed against her thighs. She was yawning as she stumbled out, hair a bit damp. She grabbed the blanket she'd left by the bathroom door, throwing it around herself. "It's cold." 

Deidara snorted from where he lay on the bed, opening one eye to look at her. "You just now noticed, yeah?"

She grumbled something unintelligible as she walked over to the lamp, turning it off. Darkness assailed their eyes for a moment until they adjusted. He saw her shadow move towards the couch where she landed in an ungraceful heap.

"The couch, yeah?' Deidara questioned through the darkness.

"I'm not sleeping on the bed with you." He heard her mutter. He could picture the pretty blush that stained her cheeks. It made him give a soft chuckle.

"I'm dirty, yeah." Deidara commented. He wasn't feeling very tired. He'd slept a bit while she'd washed. He was used to small catnaps.

"I'll let you take a shower tomorrow morning." She mumbled against the inside of the blanket. "_Goodnight_."

"You're pretty restless in bed, you'll probably fall off the couch, yeah." Deidara continued.

"How would you know whether or not I'm restless in bed?" Sakura snapped back.

"Well, you did sleep with me last night, yeah."

"I was not sleeping with you I was _sharing body heat_." He heard her hiss.

"Mores the pity, yeah." He sighed. He heard her give a mollified squeak before burying herself deeper inside of her blanket.

"Why don't you come over here and share the bed with me, angel, yeah?"

"I have a name you know."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Hai. Sakura."

"No last name, yeah?"

"Not until you tell me yours."

Deidara gave another soft chuckle. "Well, it's your loss, Sakura-_tenshi_."

"Oh will you stop with that?" She ground out. "Go to bed!"

"Goodnight, yeah."

"GoodNIGHT."

Silence reined between the two of them as he heard her drift off to sleep. Her breathing slowed and became calmer. He enjoyed the silence as he stared up at the ceiling.

An hour later Deidara knew that his earlier assumptions had been correct. She was tossing and turning on the couch, arms flailing. And she _snored_. _Not a very angelic sound, yeah._ He thought with a smile.

Wumpf.

He shot up as something hit the floor, tense and ready for a fight, and then had to keep himself from bursting into laughter at the sight before him. Sakura was sprawled out on the wood, tangled up in her blanket, still snoring.

He gave a soft sigh as he slipped out of bed and walked over to her sleeping form. Her shirt had hitched up past her thighs during the fall and he was rewarded with a nice view of her adorable black lace panties.

He shook his head as he squatted down, ignoring the soreness of his body as he picked her up. He was almost surprised at how light she was. He had expected someone with her level of strength to be heavy because of all their muscle. But his arms barely felt the strain as he placed her on the bed, wrapping her blanket around her securely.

Afterwards he slipped into his own blanket, still thoughtful.

_Sakura…the name suits you yeah._ He thought with a small smirk. _A blossom floating on the wind, blown wherever the wind takes you, yeah. No freedom to make your own decisions._

_A sad fate, yeah._

_It'll be a pity to see such spirit fade. But then again, cherry blossoms are known for their short life span._

_…how long until you wither away, yeah?_

* * *

**(A\N: So, did you like it:D I hope so. Oh, and tenshi means angel. (I don't know if I translated right so if anyone knows feel free to tell me and I'll change it.) Well, I'm off to finish the next chapter of Maelstrom and Shades of Grey. See ya.**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka**

**Pick-up line: Whoops! Sorry, I thought that was a Braille name tag. shudders)**


	4. Chapter 3: Yasuhiro

**Chapter 3**

**Yasuhiro**

Sakura yawned, stretching languidly. As she did so, she rubbed up against something warm. Her eyebrows knotted, but she kept her eyes closed. She merely ran her hand up and down the warm surface before curling up against it. She wanted to sleep a little longer…

"If you're going to feel me up you might as well do it with your eyes open, yeah."

Sakura leapt up, jumping off the bed with a squeal. She tripped on the blanket that was still wrapped around her feet, falling to the ground in a senseless heap. She heard Deidara laughing softly behind her. Sakura ignored the burning in her cheeks due to her embarrassment. _I'm so damn clumsy._

She started to stand when a hand came into view. Sakura blinked, before she looked up to see Deidara standing in front of her, offering aid. She shot him a suspicious glance and stood by herself, ignoring his hand completely.

He gave a soft sigh before he winced a bit. Sakura knew that his broken ribs were probably hurting him the most at the moment. "I need to change your bandages."

"I need to take a bath, yeah." Deidara muttered.

Sakura's nose wrinkled a bit. "Yes, you do." She agreed as Deidara shot her a small glare. She seemed to ignore it as she grabbed her pack from the chair and shouldered it. "You go take a shower, I'll ask the innkeeper for some food."

Deidara nodded, a bit put off at her sarcastic, distant attitude. He liked the emotional, friendly Sakura better. She was easier to tease. He watched her leave the room, and he gave a small smile. She was a refreshing diversion from his work as an Akatsuki member. Something that would disappear as soon as he was healed.

Because she was his enemy. Not only that, but she had drugged him.

No kunoichi had ever threatened him and lived to tell about it.

And he wasn't planning on ruining his reputation by letting this pink-haired girl do so. Angel or not, he would teach her that he was the one in control.

But for now…he'd enjoy himself.

* * *

Sakura headed out of the room as quickly as possible. She closed the door behind her, stepping into the hall and breathing in deeply.

_I have to stop acting like a child and start acting like a shinobi. I already gave Deidara too much information on Orochimaru as it is—and I talked to him like he was my best friend…like I would talk to Naruto or Ino! I can't afford anymore screw ups. It's all cold and indifference from now on. _She vowed silently, continuing down the corridor.

She had her head down, deep in thought as she descended the stairs. She wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings, lulled into a state of complacency with the knowledge that there were no shinobi in the inn with Deidara and herself. Of course, this wasn't much of an excuse as she stumbled into a person who had been trying to walk upstairs.

She gave a soft yelp as the person in front of her started to fall backwards. She hurriedly grabbed for his arm, pulling him up to steady him on the step. There was a small moment of silence as the two stared at each other. He was a young man, maybe two or three years older than Sakura herself, with the most shockingly violet hair she'd ever seen, and golden eyes that reminded her fleetingly of a hawk's. _I thought _my_ hair was crazy. _

"S-sorry!" Sakura managed to say after another moment of awkward silence.

The boy—no, he was definitely a man—gave her a smile. It was a warm, friendly smile, as he leaned up against the wall, "It's alright. I should have been watching, ne?"

"Er, I was the one who wasn't watching…" Sakura began. He was wearing normal civilian clothing, although it looked a bit fancy for a villager. A merchant perhaps?

The man laughed. "Well, at least you grabbed me. Otherwise I'd have probably broken something on the way down." His eyes motioned to the stairway. "That wouldn't have been very pleasant."

Sakura gave a small smile. "I guess not."

The young man regarded her for a moment, "I don't remember seeing you when I arrived. I surely would have remembered someone with your hair color." He gave a sly grin.

Sakura laughed. "You're one to talk." She nodded at his violet locks. "Well, I came here two days ago." Sakura stretched the truth a little. It was a hard habit to get out of, even when talking to normal civilians. "I've been staying inside of my room most of the time. I suppose that would explain why you haven't seen me." _Healing a dilapidated, annoying, s-classed criminal._

"That makes sense." The man nodded. "I came about three days ago with my uncle. We're heading to Mist." He gave a small sigh. "My uncle is a silk merchant and he wants to get to the Mist market as soon as possible for the festival."

Sakura nodded. The market that was held during the Mist fall festival was legendary. It was said you could find anything there.

"But we've been stuck here because of the threat of Waterfall shinobi." The man sighed again. "So, what's your story?"

Sakura blinked. "Story? Oh, I don't have one." She laughed as he raised an eyebrow. "I'm just stopping here on my way to Stone." _Sure, that's a believable lie right?_

"You're a shinobi!" The man exclaimed as he finally took in the sight of her headband. "I should have known from your outfit and the weapons. Well, you aren't from Waterfall…" He seemed lost in thought for a moment.

_He'll recognize my headband in a few minutes, I suppose. The Konoha symbol is well-known. _She thought with a sigh. "Hai, I'm from Konohagakure."

"A Konoha shinobi?" He seemed genuinely impressed. "You're supposed to be the best."

Sakura gave a small blush at the compliment. "Oh, I'm just a normal shinobi, nothing special." _Let's just leave out the fact that I'm the Hokage's apprentice, _she thought silently.

"My name is Arakawa Yasuhiro." He introduced himself with another smile.

"Er, I'm Sakura." Sakura answered back. She didn't see any reason to give her last name. Maybe he'd just think that shinobi didn't give their family name freely or something.

"The name fits you." He laughed.

"You have no idea how many times people tell me that." Sakura sighed, and he laughed again, grinning.

Sakura was sure the man was about to speak again when her stomach gave an embarrassingly loud rumble. She blushed a bit, "Um, well, as you can see I'm kind of hungry. Well uh, see you later Arakawa-san."

"Call me Yasuhiro!" He called after her as she headed down the stairs and out of sight.

* * *

Sakura took another bite of her rice ball with a sigh of contentment as she walked up the stairs. In one hand she held a basket of food for Deidara, which bumped against her side every time she took a step. She jumped up the last two stairs, impatient to change Deidara's bandages and give him his food so that she could leave the room as soon as possible. The less time she had to spend with the annoying missing-nin the better.

She lifted a hand to knock on the door to her room and stopped herself with a frown. She was the one paying for the room dammit, she didn't have to knock. It was _her_ room. So she slid the door open and walked inside, still holding the basket.

She should have knocked.

"Ack!" Sakura gasped out as she turned around immediately—a habit—so that she didn't gaze any longer at Deidara's naked torso. Had he just gotten out of the shower? She'd been downstairs for at least two hours! How long did it take a man to wash? _He probably spent an hour fixing his precious hair._ She thought to herself irritably. _Worse than Ino!_

"Here's your food." She muttered, placing the basket on the bedside table. She continued to ignore the fact that all Deidara wore was a towel wrapped around his waist. "Would you put some clothes on?"

Deidara gave her a sly grin. "You know you like the view, yeah."

Sakura sighed impatiently. "I can go get you some clothes from the innkeeper if you need me to."

Deidara snorted. "I've got some clothes, yeah." He motioned to the outfit that was draped over the back of the chair.

"…did you buy those clothes?" Sakura asked suspiciously as she looked down at the clothing and then back at him.

Deidara raised an eyebrow. "Did I look like I had any money on me yeah?"

"You didn't have anything on you." Sakura retorted.

He laughed, "Heh. Checking me out weren't you angel yeah?"

Sakura huffed, ignoring the warmth rising to her cheeks. "Just go put on your stolen clothes."

He grinned as he dropped the towel to put on the pair of slacks…a pair of nice silky slacks. Sakura rolled her eyes as he shot her a smug smile. If he thought she was going to faint from a nosebleed at the sight of his ass he was wrong.

She merely took out the food from the basket, placing it on the small table. "Don't put your shirt on yet, I have to redress the wound."

"Yeah, yeah…" Deidara muttered under his breath, pulling his hair up in its usual ponytail. "Alright, come heal me then, yeah."

Sakura snorted, grabbing her medical pack, "Sit down." She ordered, opening the pack and pulling out the bandages. He did as she said, although she could tell he wasn't too excited about the whole thing. The stitches were holding up nicely, and the bruising was minimal around the arm she'd reattached.

_A little more and he'll be almost fully healed. I have to find a way to get him to Konoha before that!_

She placed a small bit of her chakra into his body, looking over his damaged ribs. They were coming along nicely, she noted triumphantly. It was then that she began to laborious process of wrapping the wound on his stomach.

…

…

…

"Those are some weird tattoos." Sakura finally commented after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. Deidara looked down to see that she'd been looking at the tattoos on his chest.

Deidara frowned. "They aren't strange yeah. They're _art_."

Sakura remembered back to the little argument Deidara and Sasori had had right before Deidara had taken Gaara's body and ran. "That's a weird way to express your definition of art. I thought that Sasori was the one who believed art was ageless. Those tattoos don't explode, I believe."

He grinned. "Well, I actually opted for the temporary ones, but Sasori-danna had other plans, yeah."

Sakura almost smiled at the little joke, but managed to merely grunt. She wondered…did he blame her for killing his teammate? She didn't think she could say that the two had been friends—she'd seen enough animosity between the two to last a lifetime.

She knew that Deidara was merely trying to make her comfortable enough for another slip up. She wasn't as stupid as people seemed to think she was. What kind of a shinobi would she be if she couldn't see through something like that?

_But it gives me an advantage. People think I'm easily manipulated. If they think so little of me they lower their own guard…and that's all I need._ She gave an inward smile. _Two can play this game, Deidara…_

"How long do you think it will be until I'm healed completely and you take me back to your wonderful village, yeah?" His voice was casual, but she could hear a bit of annoyance underneath.

"Do you really believe I'd heal you completely?" Sakura snorted. "As soon as I find a way around the Waterfall-nin I'll be taking you to Konoha and then there will be one less Akatsuki in the world."

Deidara blinked at the harshness of her words. But he merely smiled slyly. "You had better hurry and find an escape rout for us, angel. Because the longer we're here the more healed I am. And you can't fight me off when I'm fully healed, now can you, yeah?"

His threat hung in the air above them, and Sakura's jaw tightened. She merely glared at him. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that you won't be in any condition to even lift those disgusting hands of yours." And then she walked out of the room, leaving him to eat in silence.

…

…

…

_Oh come on, they aren't _disgusting_ yeah!_

* * *

Slurp.

Shlooop.

Naruto sucked another noodle into his mouth—without his usual fervor.

Tak.

Tak.

The chopsticks clunked against the edge of the bowl as he put his hands in his lap, deep in thought. The owner of Ichiraku gave Naruto a worried glance. It was so strange to see Naruto like this. He was so _quiet_.

He gave a soft sigh as he picked up the bowl and placed it to his mouth to shovel the noodles in as he used to do.

"Hey Naruto." Came a lazy drawl from beside him as a figure sat down to his left, placing some money on the table for a bowl.

Clunk.

Naruto placed the bowl on the counter, looking over at Shikamaru—who was eyeing the seven empty ramen bowls stacked up on Naruto's right.

"Stop hogging the counter space." Kiba grunted as he sat down in the seat on Naruto's other side, pushing the bowls out of the way a bit.

"At least Naruto knows how to eat." Choji piped in, sitting down in the seat beside Shikamaru and ordering his own usual four bowls.

"Hey." Naruto droned out without a hint of enthusiasm.

The three exchanged a glance over his head.

"So…" Kiba began after an awkward moment of silence. "I heard the ANBU going for Sakura have caught onto a trail!"

"Where'd you hear that?" Naruto asked curiously, grabbing the dog-loving ninja's arm. "Well?"

"Hey!" Kiba threw up his hands in surrender. "Calm down Naruto! Geeze! I heard it from Kurenai-sensei."

Naruto felt a small moment of relief and hope, before giving another sigh. "It doesn't matter if they get a lead or not…we can't afford to fight our way through the lines of Waterfall shinobi."

"You don't know that." Choji argued.

"Hai." Shikamaru nodded, picking up his chopsticks to take a bite of his ramen. "I'm sure that the ANBU are currently trying to find a way inside of the border. Once they find a safe route all they will need to do is track down Sakura."

Kiba and Choji agreed loudly, grinning at Naruto, who was staring down at his ramen bowl.

"It's not fair…" Naruto finally ground out. "Kakashi-sensei gets to go out and look for Sakura-chan and I'm stuck here! We can't even go find Sasuke-teme!"

"Che." Kiba grunted. "No one wants to find the bastard anyway. Let him go rot somewhere."

"Take that back!" Naruto growled.

"Er…sorry Naruto." Kiba murmured. "I forgot that you feel that way too. I'd thought Sakura was the only one who still believed in the jerk."

Naruto's gaze darkened. "I'll get him back…and then I'll beat him to a pulp and force him to admit his love for Sakura-chan!"

Choji laughed. "I'd pay to see that."

"Me too." Kiba agreed. Neither of them seemed to notice that Naruto had grown silent again once he realized that the girl he loved…the girl who loved another…might never come back.

Shikamaru, however, _did_ notice.

"Well, Hinata and Neji had to go on top-security mission today." _Get his mind off of Sakura._

"Yeah." Choji seemed to have caught on. "And Lee, Tenten, and Ino were sent on a mission too."

"Shino's on a mission with his dad." Kiba sighed. "I don't even have anyone to train with right now."

"We're the only ones without a mission…" Naruto's grip tightened on his chopsticks.

"Well, at least we don't have to do anything." Shikamaru shrugged. "We don't get free time very often."

"We shouldn't _have_ free time!" Naruto snapped. "Every single Konoha shinobi should be out there looking for Sakura-chan! I mean, she's healed almost every single one of them! She deserves this!"

"Naruto…" Shikamaru began. "It doesn't work that way…"

Snap.

The chopsticks splintered between Naruto's fingers as he let out a savage growl. "Well it _should_. She deserves better. She bleeds and bleeds for this village and they don't DO anything when she gets captured!" He knew he was yelling, as people began staring at them.

"Keep your voice down!" Shikamaru hissed.

"Naruto, they _are_ doing something. The ANBU are—"

"Fuck the ANBU!" Naruto roared, cutting Kiba off. "If no one's going to go and rescue her than I will!" And he leapt up from his seat.

"NARUTO!"

"You damn idiot!

"You can't just run _off_!"

Wumpf.

Thump.

Yelp.

Crash.

The Ichiraku owner looked over the counter of his stall at the sight in front of him.

It seemed that Kiba had dove for Naruto as soon as he'd leapt up from the table and his foot had gotten caught on the leg of the chair, causing him to topple over onto Naruto, One arm around Naruto, holding him in a headlock. Akamaru—who had been lying beneath the stools the entire time—now found Naruto _and_ Kiba sprawled out on top of him.

Shikamaru had started his shadow possession jutsu but his arm had hit the counter, sending a bowl of ramen flying into the air before it landed on his head. Then Choji had knocked into him in his haste to grab Naruto, and so had landed on _him_, pushing him into Naruto. They were now rather pathetic pile of forehead protectors, kunai, a ninja dog, and ramen noodles.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Naruto shouted, trying to get out from beneath all of them. But Shikamaru had finished his jutsu, and Naruto was held immobile as he slowly stood, forcing Naruto to do so as well.

Akamaru gave a soft growl as Kiba rolled off of him before he shook the dirt—and ramen—from his fur.

"Don't make us get the Hokage, Naruto." Choji sighed, looking down at the broken ramen bowl. "…what a waste of perfectly good ramen."

Shikamaru gave a groan. "Stop thinking about your stomach right now." He then turned his sharp gaze back to Naruto, who looked utterly defeated.

"Please…I have to…I have to _save_ her…" Naruto pleaded desperately, tears shining in his eyes.

…

…

…

"…because Sakura is more important to me than anyone else in the world…" He closed his eyes for a second, and Kiba felt uncomfortable. He had never been around the Kyuubi container when he'd been like this. It was too weird.

Choji was shifting from foot to foot, looking guilty. Shikamaru knew that if he left the other boy to Naruto's pleas for assistance any longer than Choji would be rushing out of the village _with_ him.

_So damn troublesome…_

"Naruto, we came here because the Hokage asked us to meet in her office. Let's go." And then he began walking, forcing Naruto to walked along with him, as Kiba snickered and followed with Akamaru and Choji continued to complain about how he hadn't finished eating yet.

* * *

**(A/N: Finally! It took forever but here's the chapter:D I hope you all like it. I wanted to portray the fact that Deidara isn't just a lovey dovey 'oh my god you're beautiful be mine' kind of guy. He's still Akatsuki and he's got a vicious streak. :)**

**So, don't know when the next chapter will be out. School's officially started and I can already tell that it will be hell this year. I'm going to have to turn into one of those authors that only updates like once a month…Oi.**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka**

**Pick-up line: ****If I had a garden I'd put your two lips and my two lips together.)**


	5. Chapter 4: The Mission

**Chapter 4**

**The Mission**

_You just threatened an Akatsuki member…you…are…going…to die…_She thought morbidly as she continued down the hallway. She was trembling a little, not only from Deidara's words but also her own. _How stupid can I _be! She gave a groan as she slumped down against the wall, resting her forehead against her bent knees.

_He's right though…I have to find a way out of here. If I don't…_she swallowed. She'd be as good as dead, or worse…she inwardly shivered at the thought of what he could do to her. She'd heard all about the stories of female kunoichi captured in combat or during missions.

Her hands tightened, pulling her legs closer to her chest. _No, no, no! Stop thinking like such a fucking weakling!_

The tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she willed them back as she bit her lip. She couldn't stand it here, all alone, all alone with _him_. No Naruto, no Kakashi-sensei, not even _Sai_. There was no one to help her this time.

_You want to prove to Sasuke-kun that you're strong, don't you?_ An inner voice growled. _Then stop being a spineless wimp! Use your shinobi skills. Do everything in your power to save the people you love. That is your nindo. Now live by it._

Sakura's arms relaxed and she let out a soft sigh. _If I fight to my best ability…if I use all my strength and all my skill and all my courage and heart…then even if I fail…I've proved to myself, at least, that I can be strong. _She swallowed, thinking of the scornful glare Sasuke would send her if he could see her now, scared and pitiful.

_Doesn't matter…_she thought bitterly. _Sasuke-kun doesn't care about me anymore. All he cares about is getting enough power to kill his brother!_ She glared at the wall opposite her, envisioning the younger Uchiha standing in front of her, giving that damned arrogant smirk that made her want to melt inside and at the same time kick his sorry ass.

_I love him but he is so _infuriating_. I swear the day that Naruto and I bring him back I'll…I'll…I'll kill him. No, I'll make out with him and _then_ kill him while he's standing there, stunned!_ She gave a soft laugh at that. Just the mental picture was enough to bring someone close to hysterics.

_But it'll never happen…and if it does…it'll be because of _Naruto_. Not me. I'd never be able to bring him back on my own. I mean…he almost killed Deidara!_ She blinked, an idea blossoming in her mind.

_No doubt Deidara wants to kill Sasuke…which means he'll try and go after him…_

The corner of her mouth tipped in a smile.

_This time Naruto…I'll be the one to get Sasuke-kun back._

"You seem to be deep in thought. Walking the road of life?"

The voice startled her, not because she hadn't sensed the man's presence, but because his words were so eerily similar to her sensei's. She looked up expectantly, hoping to see his masked face and silver hair and annoying nonchalant appearance. But instead of silver hair she saw violet, instead of a deep grey eye she saw two amber, and instead of a hidden smile she saw a blatantly obvious and cheerful one.

"Arakawa-san." Sakura gave her own cheerful smile, even if it was a bit strained.

"I thought I said to call me Yasuhiro." He laughed, sitting down beside her against the wall. Did he notice how close he was sitting, or had he done it on purpose? Judging by his carefree smile he probably hadn't done it intentionally. Or maybe he was like this around everyone. But didn't he have enough sense to remember she was a shinobi? You didn't just start talking and making friends with a _shinobi_!

"Yasuhiro-san." Sakura amended, shifting in her seat. Her legs were falling asleep. "How long are you planning on staying at the inn?" Small talk was her best option. At least she could have an interesting conversation with the young man that didn't pertain to sex or death.

Yasuhiro gave a small frown. "My uncle and the other merchants have decided we need a shinobi escort before we can continue to Mist. So they're going to wait until someone hopefully drops by here or the Waterfall shinobi leave."

"Ah." Sakura nodded. She looked deep in thought, and Yasuhiro grew concerned as he tentatively touched her shoulder, "Sakura-san?"

Sakura blinked, coming out of her thoughts as she gave a soft laugh. "Oh don't worry about me Yasuhiro-san. I'm fine. Actually, I have to go and speak with my companion. If you will excuse me…" She stood, giving a small wave before she hurried back down the hall.

Yasuhiro swore he saw a malevolent smirk cross her face as she disappeared around the corner.

* * *

When they walked into the room, Tsunade had her back to them. She was staring out at the village below her, her reflection grim in the glass. They could tell she meant business, because she was wearing her full Hokage regalia. The white and red robes swirled around her as she turned to look at them. 

"What did you want, Tsunade-baachan?" Naruto asked grumpily. He was glaring at the ground, and Tsunade could tell that something major had just happened.

_The idiot probably tried to hightail it out of Konoha to rescue Sakura or something. _She gave a soft sigh. "Sit down, all of you."

Naruto finally looked up from the ground to snap at her—and stopped, mouth slack. Sitting down calmly, sitting in a chair beside Tsunade's desk, was someone he hadn't thought to see in a while.

"Sh-Shibuki?!" Naruto managed to croak out as he sat down in his own chair, hard.

Shibuki gave a small smirk. "Hey Naruto."

"Why are you here—" Naruto's eyes widened. "Hey wait! You're the leader of Waterfall! You can get those shinobi to stop attacking and we can go in and rescue Sakura-chan!" He had jumped out of his seat now, grabbing Shibuki's shoulders and shaking him as he stared down at him desperately.

"Right? Right!?"

"Let go of him!" Came a snarl from the other side of the room. Naruto felt someone grab his collar, throwing him away from Shibuki and into the chair a few feet away. It toppled over and Naruto landed on his head, giving a soft groan.

"Naruto…" Tsunade began in a warning tone, but stopped herself as Naruto jumped up, glaring.

"Hey!" He pointed a finger accusingly at the figure standing next to Shibuki, "What was that for?"

"Che." The figure crossed its arms, giving Naruto a look that stated: you're beneath me. Don't make me come over there and kick your ass. That look annoyed Naruto more than anything. It was the same look that Sasuke had always given him.

"Naruto, you can't just go grabbing the leader of Waterfall!" Kiba groaned. "You are such an idiot!"

Shikamaru merely took a drag on his cigarette, while Choji gave a soft sigh.

Shibuki was looking genuinely perplexed, Tsunade annoyed, and Shibuki's guard murderous. Naruto narrowed his eyes, looking the figure over. He pointed a finger accusingly, yelling out.

"Hey! You're a _girl_!"

The kunoichi raised on eyebrow, which made Shibuki wince. He was the only one to realize that such an action coming from her usually meant someone was in for a world of hurt.

"Your power of observation astounds me."

Tsunade couldn't help but cough into her hand to hide her small laugh, as Shikamaru smirked and Kiba outright laughed as Naruto frowned, a small blush tinting his cheeks.

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but shut it again, as Tsunade gave him a warning glance and then continued talking.

"I called you four in here for a reason." She nodded at Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Choji. "Most of the other shinobi qualified for this mission are out on their own missions."

"Glad we're your fallback plan." Kiba muttered under his breath.

Tsunade ignored him. "You will be escorting Shibuki-san to—"

"No way!" Naruto jumped up again. "I'm not escorting him anywhere! Not until he makes his shinobi stop attacking our ANBU and gives us back Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto…"

Naruto shook his head, not allowing himself to be intimidated by Tsunade. "No! I won't protect this guy! I mean, Sakura risked her life for him and his village when we protected it before and now he's just going to sit by and not do _anything_—"

"I can't." Came Shibuki's soft whisper.

Naruto blinked, stopping his tirade at the piteous tone to Shibuki's voice. He was holding his head between his hands and was staring down at the ground, shoulders slumped.

"I'm sorry Naruto…when I heard what some of the Waterfall shinobi were doing I…I tried to stop it…but…" He gave a small groan as his hands clenched.

"Takigakure is, at the moment, discontented." Came the bland reply of Shibuki's kunoichi bodyguard. "Its shinobi have never been loyal in the first place. What do you expect of them? To listen to a young man whom they do not believe can lead them?"

Shibuki winced at her words, but said nothing.

"Hey, he's your leader! You shouldn't talk to him like that." Kiba frowned. "Aren't you supposed to _respect_ him?"

The kunoichi gave a derisive snort. "I am merely stating facts, boy." She ignored the fact that Kiba was glaring at her as much anger as Naruto was. "Shibuki knows it as well as I do."

Shibuki sighed. "Eiko-san is only telling the truth." He looked up at Naruto and the others with a humorless smile. "She's one of the only people who still side with me, after all. Most of the others have claimed loyalty to another faction."

"Who is it?" Choji asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "I mean, why would all those shinobi just abandon you?"

"They were given a better deal." Eiko shrugged. "It seems that many people dislike Konoha."

"Who was it?" Tsunade finally demanded.

Shibuki gave a sift sigh. "…the Akatsuki." They all saw something flash in Eiko's hawk-like eyes, and the way her fingers edged towards something beneath her sleeve.

"You seem to have a personal problem with the Akatsuki." Shikamaru stated, dark eyes boring into Eiko.

She shrugged. "It is hardly any of your business…Nara."

"That's enough Eiko-san." Shibuki gave a soft sigh. "Hokage-sama, I understand that you believe these four are suitable for the job, but I have my doubts. This job is dangerous."

Tsunade shook her head. "Don't worry for their safety, Shibuki-san. They will protect your lives, after they realize the honor you have done this village in your choice to help find Sakura Haruno."

Naruto blinked, looking up at Shibuki. "You mean…?"

Shibuki nodded with a small smile. "I may only be a minor shinobi leader, but the leader of the Akatsuki deems me important enough to ask for a meeting. I am going to visit with him in hopes of finding any information on Haruno Sakura's whereabouts."

"Why would they know?" Choji asked.

"Why wouldn't they?" Eiko shrugged. "The Akatsuki make it their mission to know everything that is going on around them. They will know where she is."

"Where does that leave _us_?" Shikamaru asked.

"I do not trust their Leader however, and so I need a powerful escort. You four will be traveling with myself and Eiko-san. We will be meeting with your teacher Jiraiya once we enter Amegakure."

There was another long moment of silence.

"This is a suicide mission." Kiba muttered.

Eiko gave what could be considered a laugh. "Afraid to die?"

There was no answer.

* * *

Sakura opened the door to find Deidara standing in the middle of the room, stretching. He was testing his movements, flexing his muscles and frowning in annoyance at the pain even the easiest of actions caused him. 

Sakura ignored him completely as she went over to her pack, shouldering an extra one. She began to slowly and deliberately fold her clothing and place it inside. She noticed that he had turned to look at her curiously.

"What are you doing, yeah?"

She merely grabbed the other pack and threw it at him. "Here. It already has clothing in it. We'll just need to ask the innkeeper for some provisions before we leave."

"Leave, yeah?" Deidara raised an eyebrow as he caught it easily. "You found a way to get passed the Waterfall-nin?"

"I'm not _stupid_." Was her only answer, as she secured her kunai pouch to her thigh. "We'll probably be leaving tomorrow, though, once I speak with Yasuhiro-san and make the arrangements."

"…Yasuhiro-san. Arrangements, yeah?" Deidara seemed genuinely perplexed.

"I'll be giving you a few kunai to defend yourself as well as to protect our soon-to-be-clients if anything is to happen. However, you have no clay left, so don't try to blow anything up."

"Care to explain what the hell is going on, yeah?"

"In a few minutes, you and I will become the Konoha bodyguards for a group of merchants heading to Mist."

"And how will that help our situation, yeah?" Deidara lazily slumped into the chair opposite where she knelt. "The Waterfall-nin are still after us, aren't they?"

Sakura snorted. "Just follow along and we'll be out of this place as soon as possible." _The Waterfall-nin believe that shinobi will be traveling in a group of two, three, possibly four other shinobi. They won't expect us to travel with merchants. That gives us an advantage._ She wasn't going to say any of this to Deidara, of course. The less he knew the better.

"And then we'll be in Konoha, yeah?" Deidara's voice was scornful. "What makes you think I'll go willingly?"

Sakura shook her head, and he saw her hands tighten on the shirt she was holding. She stuffed it hurriedly into her traveling pack with a sigh. "We're not heading straight to Konoha."

Deidara blinked a few times. "Eh?"

"You want to find Uchiha Sasuke, don't you?"

"Yeah, I wanna kill the bastard." Deidara's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why do you ask, yeah?"

Sakura's eyes were hard and calculating as she turned to him. "Once we take the merchants to Mist…I'll help you find him."

This was the first time that Deidara had ever been at a loss for words.

* * *

An hour or so later Sakura walked into the small lounge area of the inn. She immediately spotted a group of merchants sitting in a corner, looking annoyed and mumbling worriedly amongst themselves. Sitting off to one side of the group was Yasuhiro. One of the more distinguished merchants, whose white-streaked, purple hair was eerily reminiscent of Yasuhiro's was most likely his uncle. 

Yasuhiro looked up when Sakura walked over, as did the other merchants. They surveyed her boorishly, as if they had other things to do rather than be bothered by a young girl. None of them had noticed her shinobi headband.

"What is it?" Yasuhiro's uncle snapped irritably.

Sakura bowed her head a bit in acknowledgment. "I am Sakura. It has come to my attention that you are looking for escorts to Mist."

"…hai…" Yasuhiro's uncle nodded warily.

"My partner and I would gladly fill that position for you."

She saw Yasuhiro's eyes widen in surprise.

Yasuhiro and the others looked at one another—and then burst into laughter. Sakura did not let her annoyance to show, or the fact that she was hurt at their assumption that she was merely a weak little girl.

"Please, young girl, this is amusing, but also a waste of time." One of them snorted. "We need powerful shinobi to guard us from the Waterfall-nin."

Sakura said nothing, because it was at that moment that Yasuhiro intervened.

"She's from Konoha."

There was a moment of silence as the chuckles slowly died down.

"A…Konoha shinobi…?" Another croaked out.

Sakura nodded briskly. "Hai. I am a kunoichi of Konoha."

"Konoha shinobi are said to be very strong." Yasuhiro's uncle murmured thoughtfully. "And intelligent."

Sakura said nothing.

"But still, that is only one shinobi…" Another piped in.

"She said she had a partner."

"Still…only _two_?"

"Two Konoha shinobi are more valuable than three squads of regular Waterfall-nin."

"What do you think, Shigekazu-san?"  
The man in question, who turned out to be Yasuhiro's uncle, nodded sternly.

"Very well. We will hire you and your partner as our bodyguards for this trip."

Sakura nodded. "Good. When will you be ready to leave?"

"Tomorrow morning." Shigekazu answered gravely.

_Perfect._ Sakura thought with an inward smile as she nodded at him. "Very well. We will leave tomorrow morning after you have secured your supplies. My partner and I will take you to Mist." She turned to leave, when Yasuhiro stopped her.

"Wait! Sakura-san…where are you going?"

"My partner and I need to gather our own supplies." Sakura answered back calmly.

Yasuhiro watched her go worriedly, before he turned to Shigekazu. "Uncle…she wasn't like that before."

"So that's the girl you were talking about." Shigekazu murmured. "I see…well, she _is_ a shinobi. Their emotions are always very well hidden, and they take their jobs seriously. Do not worry. I am sure you will be able to speak with her later."

Yasuhiro smiled, before he nodded. "Hai. I suppose you're right, uncle."

* * *

Sakura continued down the hallway with her pack, as well as the extra food provisions the innkeeper had given her. She tucked them gently in her arms as she opened the door to her room and walked inside. 

Deidara said nothing to her as she entered. He was staring out the window. Probably still contemplating Sakura's motives for going with him to search for Sasuke.

She continued placing the various items she needed in her pack.

"You haven't given me any kunai yet, yeah."

Sakura didn't turn to him as she shrugged. "I'll give you some kunai before we leave tomorrow morning."

"If the merchants see you handing me kunai they'll get suspicious, yeah." Deidara prompted. "They already doubt your skills as it is."

"How do you know that?" Sakura snapped, already bristling at his words.

Deidara chuckled, turning to look at her with one piercing blue eye. "The moment someone sees that pink hair of yours, angel, they already start to doubt your skills, yeah."

Sakura frowned, turning away. "Hmph."

"So are you going to give me the kunai or not, yeah?"

"Like I said before, I'm not an idiot. I'll give you the kunai right before we leave the room. That's it."

Deidara's eyes narrowed, but he merely sighed. "Right, yeah." He didn't like being dependent on her, but it was necessary. He wouldn't deny the fact that she was smart. Too damn smart for her own good. She'd only healed him enough to keep him alive and was letting the rest of his wounds heal naturally. That left him weakened enough for her to keep him under control if he tried to escape. And this mission was the best way for them to get out of the Waterfall-nin's clutches.

While the merchants were afraid for their own lives, they didn't have a need to. The Waterfall-nin were only after two things: Konoha shinobi and Deidara. So traveling with a group of merchants was the best cover up they could get.

And if he left their group the moment he had his kunai and could fight back, the Waterfall-nin would be on him before he could say 'yeah'. And Sakura knew that.

Like he'd said before, his angel was too damn smart.

* * *

"I don't like her." Naruto muttered for the hundredth time as they sat around the campfire. 

The woman in question said nothing from her position across the fire. Shibuki was seated next to her, away from the four Konoha shinobi. After a moment of strained silence, in which everyone waited for Eiko to kill the demon container, Eiko stood and headed off into the woods to scout the area.

"See! What an ice cube! I can't believe she's your bodyguard, Shibuki."

Choji gave Naruto a disappointed look, "Naruto, it's rude to talk about her like that."

"Why!?" Naruto snapped. "She's ugly too." He was lashing out at anyone he could in his frustration and helplessness to get back Sakura, and Eiko was merely the perfect target.

Shikamaru groaned. _Why now, of all times? So troublesome…_

Akamaru gave a soft growl in Naruto's general direction. A warning to keep his mouth shut. A warning that Naruto did not heed.

"I mean, she's got those creepy bird-eyes." Naruto continued. "And then she has those _scars_!"

"Scars don't make a person ugly!" Shibuki yelled back at him, and Naruto could tell he was angry. His eyes shined with something that Naruto hadn't noticed before as he stood, hands clenched, glaring at him.

"Well they make _her_ ugly." Naruto shot back, standing as well.

"Eiko-san is beautiful!" Shibuki growled.

There was a moment of silence as the others stared at him. He blushed a bit before his gaze softened. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just…well…" He sighed softly as his shoulders slumped.

"What?" Choji asked, curious.

"Nothing." Shibuki grumbled, pulling his blanket tighter around himself and laying on his side, facing away from the fire.

"Naruto seems to know a lot about yourself, Shibuki-san and Hokage-sama trusts you, but the same cannot be said for your bodyguard. She herself has stated that Waterfall-nin rarely stay loyal to one person for very long." Shikamaru stated truthfully.

Shibuki said nothing as the light from the fire danced against his back.

"Perhaps if you told us about her, it would be easier for Naruto and the others to accept her." Choji prompted, ever the peacemaker.

There was a long moment of silence as they all looked at Shibuki's back.

…

…

…

"She was a Waterfall-nin long before I was born."

"That would explain the grayish color of her hair. She's probably ancient." Kiba snorted.

Shibuki frowned again, but he continued. "When she came back after you and the rest of your team helped me to fight those Waterfall missing-nin she told me she had been sent on an important mission by my father and that was the reason she hadn't been there to protect me. She then swore she wouldn't let anything happen to me from then on."

"She's mean." Naruto muttered.

Shibuki shook his head. "She's blunt, not mean. I wish more people were like her."

"You wish everyone acted like a bitch?" Kiba asked offhandedly. Shikamaru and Choji both sent him warning glances while Naruto nodded at him, agreeing with the statement.

Shibuki glared. "At least she doesn't lie to me about anything. She doesn't tell me that everything is going to be ok so that I feel horrible when everything goes to hell. She doesn't say that life's fair and it'll all turn out good in the end because she knows it doesn't and she knows it'll only hurt me to hear those words."

Shikamaru nodded. "Sometimes it's best to hear the truth, even if it isn't what we were hoping for."

Shibuki gave a frustrated sigh. "It hurts, especially when she tells me that I'm weak. But she's helping me to become stronger, and I know I can do it if I try. Because it doesn't matter how harsh her words are, she always tells me that there is _always_ a way to become better and grow stronger."

Choji took another bite of his rations.

"It helps." Shibuki sighed. "And I would take her harsh words over hidden insults from people who call themselves my allies. All the other Kage's believe that I'm too young to rule effectively, and I guess that's true. But they never say it to my face. At least Eiko does. She'll tell me straight out that I'm going to send all of Waterfall to hell if I don't do something about it."

Naruto's face softened bit by bit at Shibuki's words. "You know…in a way she's a lot like Sakura."

Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba turned to him in surprise.

"Sakura is always trying to protect everyone, but if she has to, she'll tell you straight out that something isn't going to work…if only just because she doesn't want you to get hurt later on."

The other three Konoha shinobi nodded collectively.

"And she's loyal. Foolishly loyal." Kiba piped in.

"And she loves being sarcastic to Naruto." Choji continued.

"And she has a weird hair color like Sakura does." Shikamaru finished.

The others turned to look at him, and he shrugged. "What?"

There was another moment of silence, before Shibuki spoke. "You miss her, don't you?"

Naruto's eyes welled up with tears, "Hai…I…I love Sakura-chan. I just want her to be safe."

No one said anything, too afraid to dash Naruto's hopes away with the realization that wherever Sakura was, she was most likely not safe at all.

* * *

**(A/N: Hm, so here it is. I don't know when the next one will be out though...**

**Hm, so, now that we've gotten a little more background on Yasuhiro and...Eiko! Yes, I know she's an OC but let's face it, you need an OC to keep stories going. Otherwise it would just be the same old plot with the same old people. She plays a purpose that will be revealed later on. Actually, part of her secret is in her name. I'll leave it to you to look that one up. :) And Shibuki, well, he's Shibuki. That's all there is to it. :P**

**So, I hope you liked it. Yes, there were no actual DeiSaku moments in this chapter but don't worry, they'll come around sooner or later. I'm just trying to keep it reaslistic. :)**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka**

**Pick-up line: ****That shirt is very becoming on you, but if I was on you I'd be coming too!**


	6. Chapter 5: Not Good Enough

**Chapter 5**

**Not Good Enough**

She slept uneasily that night, or so she guessed after she woke up in awkward position with her arm twisted behind her back and an utterly fatigued feeling that told her she hadn't gotten much rest.

She wondered if it was from guilt. Here she was, siding with an s-classed criminal and running off to who-knows-where. _But it's for Sasuke-kun!_ She told herself adamantly. _And as long as I'm doing it to get back a Konoha shinobi I'm not really betraying them, right?_

She didn't let her conscience answer as she sat up from the floor and stretched, groaning at the soreness in her limbs. Sleeping on the floor probably hadn't been the best idea either but she'd decided that since she was _not_ going to sleep in the bed with Deidara and he was unwilling to give it up—the selfish bastard—and she would just fall off the couch in her sleep like she had last time than the floor was her best bet.

That still didn't make it comfortable.

She gave a small groan as she pressed a glowing green hand to her lower back.

"Sleep well, yeah?" Came Deidara's teasing voice from behind her.

She bit back a retort as she turned to look at him with a small glare. He was sitting up on the bed, looking rested, relaxed, comfortable, and extremely smug. She wanted to wipe that arrogant smile off his face. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen. She knew he was stronger than she was and that the only reason he was with her willingly was because he was injured and needed her to heal him before he could continue on his own.

She only hoped that her offer to help him find Sasuke would keep him with her long enough for her to devise a plan of attack against him. If she studied him, learned his strengths and weaknesses, then perhaps she could find a way to defeat him and take him back to Konoha. _With_ Sasuke of course.

She could just imagine Naruto's face as she walked into Konoha, Deidara slung over one shoulder and Sasuke slung over the other. Wouldn't they all be surprised? Sakura Haruno, the weakling kunoichi of team seven, defeating two dangerous missing-nin.

_I wouldn't be the weakling then, would I?_

The thought brought a smile to her lips. Sasuke would finally respect her then, right? He wouldn't view her as a hindrance, but as a worthy teammate and ally. That's what she wanted. Because then maybe, just maybe, he'd see that she meant more to him than he had originally thought.

There would be no stone bench and no softly whispered, 'arigato'.

"What's got you in such a good mood this morning, yeah?" Deidara asked over his shoulder as he slipped on his pants. He had been a bit miffed that he'd stripped down and she hadn't even looked up from restocking her medical pack.

"Nothing." Sakura said cheerfully, giving him a full smile that surprised him.

Deidara nodded suspiciously, before he noticed her surveying her weapon's pouch. Now was as good a time as any to broach the subject.

"Like I said before, if you don't give me some weapons they're going to think you don't trust me, yeah."

"I _don't_ trust you." Sakura muttered, seeing Deidara's smile widen as he laughed at her words. She merely huffed and shouldered her pack. She'd bought cloaks for herself and Deidara from the innkeeper, since _he_ didn't have one and hers had been torn to shreds. She was zipping up her boots when Deidara appeared in her line of vision, reaching out a hand. She flinched, trying to get into a battle position as her mind screamed 'threat'.

But he was too fast, or perhaps she had just grown too complacent, because he was inside of her guard before she knew what was happening and there was no way to stop him. And that was when he struck.

Her hair.

He was pulling on her _hair_?

"Hey!" She sputtered as he tied it in a ponytail atop her head. Sakura blinked for a few seconds, frowning at him. "What the hell was that for? Don't touch me." _I let my guard down for one second. That was foolish of me. If he'd have had a weapon…_she swallowed, noticing the underlying meaning behind his move rather than the foolishness of the move itself. It stated: I am stronger than you, I'm a better shinobi than you. Just because I'm weakened doesn't mean you can let you guard down. Never forget that I'm a threat.

And she wouldn't.

Deidara merely smirked. "You're right. You look better with it down. That way no one has to see that humongous forehead of yours, yeah." Yet he made no effort to take the ponytail out.

"What was that?" Sakura growled, an embarrassed blush tainting her cheeks. He had no right at all to make fun of her looks! She merely fumbled in her pack, handing him two kunai. "Here. This is all you'll need." She knew that it was suicidal to give him a weapon, but it also suicidal if she didn't. She was damned either way. And he knew it, the arrogant bastard.

"Why thank you, angel, yeah." Deidara grinned as he saluted her, before slipping the kunai into his sleeves.

"You need to take off your headband." Sakura finally spoke, frowning. "I told them that you were my partner. That means you're from Konoha too."

Deidara sighed, slipping the headband off. "Alright, alright, yeah."

"Wow." Sakura's mouth quirked into a teasing smile. "Maybe you should put it back on. Your forehead is almost as big as mine." _Payback_.

Deidara frowned, but he knew she'd done it to be mean, so he managed a smile. "Glad to see that you still have a sense of humor after so little sleep last night, yeah."

Sakura snorted. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"You, of all people, should know better than to become complacent in the company of your enemy, yeah." Deidara called loftily from above her, grinning down at her with all his male pride.

Sakura said nothing as she shouldered her pack. "Let's go." Her voice was stilted, and Deidara's eyes flickered for a second. He hadn't thought he'd make her sad. He'd just wanted to see her yell at him. His angel always looked so much cuter when she was yelling.

"Let's head downstairs then, yeah." Deidara agreed. "We'll need to hurry if we wish to find a suitable spot to set up camp later tonight."

Sakura nodded, and the two walked out the door. Suddenly Sakura felt herself begin to fall, and she let out a small yelp as she felt her foot go out from under her. For a horrified moment she wondered if she would fall down the entire flight of stairs.

But she was caught by deft hands that pulled her up against a warm, strong chest. She knew who it was immediately, giving an enraged growl.

"You're so clumsy, yeah. And you said you were a kunoichi?"

"Shut up." Sakura hissed, pushing out of his arms. "I would have rather face-planted at the bottom of the stairs than for you to save me."

"That hurts, yeah." He teased mockingly, and she could tell that he was enjoying her frustration. Just like an Akatsuki member to find pleasure in someone else's discomfort.

Sakura wasn't going to let him have the last laugh, however. She knew _exactly_ what he'd done.

"Tripping me on purpose and then catching me is the _only_ way you'll ever get to hold me in your arms. Nice try."

And then she walked down the stairs, a bemused Deidara coming behind her.

* * *

The merchants were congregating in the large expanse of clearing in front of the inn. Many large carts holding what Sakura supposed were the merchants' goods were being driven by oxen.

The merchants looked up as the two neared, their raised voices immediately quieting, as if they'd been having an argument before and didn't feel like continuing it in the presence of others.

"We've only got two weeks before the festival begins." Yasuhiro explained, seeing that none of the others were going to offer any information to the two shinobi. He took in the sight of Sakura's hair up in a ponytail—since she had yet to let it down—and smiled cheerfully.

"Ah." Sakura nodded. "Well, if all goes well we should arrive in time, but we will need to keep moving and push hard in the beginning."

She heard someone mutter something about 'taking orders from a little girl' but she ignored it, though she saw Yasuhiro frown. She pulled herself up to her full height—which wasn't much—in an attempt to give a semblance of _some_ power. She knew she failed miserably, but at least she was _trying_.

"We'll only stop for one meal during the day, and then we can eat at night when we stop to rest."

"What?" Someone growled out—a man who was losing his hair in the most unseemly of ways, in clumps that left his head looking like a badly weeded field. "Who are you to give us orders on when we'll eat?"

"If you want to get to the festival in time than I suggest you follow my orders." Sakura spoke, taking on the voice she used when dealing with diplomats with Tsunade. It offered no room for argument. "I may be younger than you but I am a shinobi and I have been trained in the arts of survival. I would suggest you listen to me."

"We shouldn't have even hired—" Another began, before he was cut off by Deidara.

"Stop blabbering with them, Sakura-tenshi, yeah. They'll follow us if they want to. Otherwise, there's no use in wasting energy."

There was a moment of silence as several merchants began to steam in anger and the others gave Deidara a questioning look. Sakura supposed she needed to introduce him.

Sakura nodded her head at Yasuhiro and the rest of the merchants. "This is my partner, Deidara."

"Hello there, yeah." Deidara nodded his head, but his face was serious as his eyes flickered to the trees around them.

"Hi." Yasuhiro smiled, holding out his hand. Deidara snorted, ignoring it as he walked ahead of the small group. The others stared at him as Sakura gave an annoyed sigh before he turned back to look at them over his shoulder, "Are we going now or what, yeah? You want to get to Mist in time for the festival don't you?"

Sakura gave another small sigh. "Deidara, you stay ahead of the group, I'll be in the middle, and I'll put a shadow clone in the back."

"Sounds good to me, yeah." Was all Deidara said before he disappeared ahead of them.

"Let's go." Sakura bellowed over the sound of the oxen. The wooden wagon wheels groaned and creaked as they made their way forward, and Sakura could already tell that this would be a long, uncomfortable mission.

_You didn't _have_ to take the mission,_ an inner voice reminded her.

The moment Deidara had left the inn he seemed to become a completely different person. His cheerful, teasing attitude had disappeared. He seemed serious, definitely more mature. But she could also see an underlying coldness.

_He's Akatsuki, _her inner voice spoke once more. _Perhaps you're just seeing the real him now._

Sakura gave a small sigh before she began the hand signs for her shadow clone. _I know…I just kind of like him better the other way._

_Annoying and perverted?_

She finished the hand signs and watched her clone speed off to cover their rear.

_At least then…he didn't remind me of a killer._

_Then maybe it's better that he's acting like he is now. You can never forget that he's a killer, Sakura. A man who has no qualms with killing_ you

She swallowed.

_You aren't holding all the cards anymore. You'd just better hope you have a better hand than he does._

_Why do I have this horrible feeling that Deidara's holding all the aces?_

_How much are you willing to bet, Sakura? Especially when you know he's going to win._

Sakura remained silent for a moment, still keeping her senses open to any threat, even as she thought.

_I'll bet everything for Sasuke-kun._

_Even if Deidara's holding all the cards?_

_…_

_…_

_…_

_I can always bluff._

* * *

Kakashi whisked through the trees, his face grim beneath his ANBU mask. Beside him ran four others, their attire the same as his. He didn't know any of them, but he wasn't surprised at that. ANBU came and went all the time, and it was always better not to get attached to anyone in their line of work, even more so than regular shinobi.

_We're almost there, Sakura. Hold on. _He felt a moment of excitement rush through him as he remembered the large group of Waterfall-nin they'd killed to get through to the other side of the border. The other two squads of ANBU had stayed to keep the way open for them when they returned with Sakura.

Pakkun had caught onto Sakura's trail a few hours before, and it was all Kakashi could do to keep in synch with the other four ANBU and not rush ahead. Pakkun said he'd smelled Sakura at a nearby inn.

_Smart girl, _Kakashi thought proudly. _You knew that you needed shelter and that the Waterfall-nin wouldn't go looking for you at the inn. _Out of all his students Sakura had been the smartest.

And although he wouldn't say so to Naruto, he was the most proud of her out of all of them. She had taken the initiative to become stronger and had done so all on her own. No bloodline, no demon. Just Sakura.

And he loved her for it. He wouldn't deny that she was like a daughter to him, or perhaps a little sister. And the thought of her alone and injured made his gut twist. What if she thought they had abandoned her?

Like Sasuke had done.

Kakashi would have to make it up to her somehow. Maybe he'd teach her a new technique, or let her see underneath his mask. The thought made him smile, even as he landed in front of the inn.

The innkeeper seemed startled as they appeared out of nowhere, but he hid it quickly.

"Sir." One of the other ANBU, the one wearing a hawk mask, began. "We are searching for a young woman named Sakura Haruno."

The man frowned. "Never heard of her."

"She had pink hair and green eyes." Kakashi supplied.

The man shook his head, but Kakashi could tell he was lying. Pakkun woofed beside him. "I can smell Sakura all around here."

"Tell us the truth." Kakashi said coldly. _I don't want to have to hurt you but I will if it means finding Sakura._

The man hesitated for only a second more before he nodded slowly. "I remember her. She left this morning."

Kakashi paled underneath his mask. "What?"

"She left." The man shrugged. "With a group of merchants and a blonde-haired shinobi."

_Blonde hair? _Kakashi knew it wasn't Naruto. Not even _he_ was stupid enough to go to this place alone.

"Did she go willingly? Were there any signs of struggle?" Another ANBU asked.

The man sighed. "She didn't seem to like the man that much was obvious. He spoke strangely, too. He kept saying 'yeah' at the end of all of his—" The man stopped, because suddenly he didn't have anyone _left_ to talk to. The masked shinobi had all disappeared, and he was left standing at the door, a confused look on his face. He merely shook his head, sighing as he walked back inside, grumbling all the way back to his room.

* * *

"You aren't very talkative today." Yasuhiro commented as he sidled alongside her. They'd been traveling for half the day and Sakura could already tell she was going to have some trouble with some of the merchants. They weren't used to sitting in their wagons all day, cramped in a seat.

Earlier she had made the mistake of saying they could get out and _walk_ if they're legs were hurting them so badly, but after receiving several glares and a snort from Deidara from up ahead she'd gone silent again.

"I'm a shinobi and this is a mission, Yasuhiro-san." Sakura said calmly. How many times had she screwed up a mission because she hadn't been paying enough attention? Naruto and Sasuke had always paid for her mistakes back then. But there was no one to take the fall this time except herself.

"Oh."

Her face softened and she gave a small sigh. "I don't mean to be harsh, Yasuhiro-san, but I can't just talk to you. We could possibly be surrounded by Waterfall-nin if I let my guard down."

He nodded his head, his gaze understanding and a little saddened. "Alright."

They remained in comfortable silence for a little while longer as Sakura scanned the area. She really didn't have much to worry about, since Deidara was up ahead. He'd sense anything before she did.

_But what if Deidara doesn't warn you? He's already told you that the Waterfall-nin are working with the Akatsuki. What if he decides to tell them of your location so he can escape?_

She ignored the part of her that panicked at that comment. She didn't have time to panic or worry. _He won't. He isn't fully healed and he knows that he needs my help, even if just for a little while longer._

The thought didn't comfort her as much as it should have.

"Sakura-san?"

Yasuhiro seemed to find himself incapable of keeping silent. She supposed she should have known better. He was a civilian after all. She couldn't expect him to act like a shinobi.

"Hm?"

"What's it like, being a shinobi?"

She blinked, a bit taken aback by his question. She pondered it for a moment, still wondering if she should break her concentration long enough to answer.

"It's painful."

"Painful?" Yasuhiro laughed. "I would have thought it would be amazing, to have all that power and be able to use it against your opponents."

Sakura snorted rather derisively, and her voice took on a bitter tone she hadn't expected. "There's nothing glorious or wondering or _amazing_ about being a shinobi." _There's just pain, and loss, and betrayal._

"I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?" Yasuhiro asked worriedly.

"Nothing's wrong!" Sakura snapped. "I just wish people didn't glorify the shinobi life. There's nothing good about it. We kill and kill and kill and that's it. So what if we use jutsu rather than a gun or a sword or whatever the hell you civilians use? They're still just as dead." And then she excused herself to fall back and guard the rear, saying that they didn't need anyone at the middle of the train anymore.

Yasuhiro stared after her in shocked silence before someone beside him gave a small, dry laugh. "She's so emotional, yeah."

Yasuhiro frowned at Sakura's shinobi partner. "Of course she is. She's only human, isn't she?"

"She's a shinobi. We don't have time for emotions, yeah. She'd better learn that quickly." Deidara snipped, before he nodded at them. "We'll be stopping soon up ahead, yeah. I found a good place for the night."

And then he was gone, disappearing into the forest ahead of them. The merchants around Yasuhiro remained quiet as he walked beside the cart, his gaze troubled.

* * *

Deidara took a bite of his rations, giving a small annoyed sigh as the mouthwatering smell of the merchants' food wafted around him. More annoying than the fact that they had better food than he did was the fact that they didn't offer him or Sakura any. In fact, they had the nerve to eat it in _front_ of them.

_Ought to kill the bastards, yeah. Without shinobi, these pompous merchants would be dead before they knew what hit them. _He'd already had to dispatch a few rogue waterfall shinobi who had wandered too close to their merchant train. He also knew that Sakura had dealt with a few who had tried to come up from behind, judging by the small difference in her chakra levels and the scratch on her arm.

They had been low-level scouts, probably Chûnin. The real fun would begin if they came in contact with a group of Waterfall _Jônin_.

Sakura was healing her arm, her fingers glowing a soft green. She'd already checked over his wounds earlier and he'd said he was fine, not wanting to show that he was extremely sore in front of all the merchants.

"You look hungry, Sakura-san. Would you like some?"

Deidara looked up to see the purple-haired kid—Yasuhiro or something—offer his plate of food to Sakura.

Sakura smiled at him in thanks. "That's very kind of you, Yasuhiro-san. I'm fine though."

"But you're the one guarding us. The least we can do is give you some food." Yasuhiro urged.

Sakura shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Well, I'll eat it then, yeah." Deidara took the plate from the young man's hands, beginning to eat.

"Deidara!" Sakura growled, trying to snatch the plate away. "You're such a bastard!"

Deidara grinned at her after he swallowed a mouthful of rice. "The boy's right. We're the one's protecting them. We need more energy than those fat merchants, yeah."

Sakura groaned as the merchants let out indignant gasps. _Way to go, dumbass. _

"It's alright, Sakura-san." Yasuhiro smiled, although it was a bit stressed. "He's your partner. He deserves some food too."

"No, he doesn't." Sakura grumbled, before she gave a small sigh and looked back out at the forest. The firelight reflected off her hair, bathing her skin in a golden glow.

It reminded Deidara of the time he'd woken up in the forest with her kneeling above him, the setting sun wreathing her in gold. Except there was no bright light surrounding her this time, only darkness.

_She shouldn't even be a ninja. She's too emotional, yeah._ He thought, seeing her begin to joke and laugh with Yasuhiro.

_I don't care if she has that insane strength of hers, she'll never become a strong shinobi unless she stops letting her guard down and letting every little thing these people say get to her, yeah._

She grabbed her blanket, curling it around her to keep warm. She had said she'd take first watch. However, in the wilderness, Deidara didn't trust anyone except himself to keep guard. Hell, he hadn't even trusted Tobi to do it when they'd been on missions together.

_I bet she was the weakest member of her team. I mean, when we did research on any potential threats in the new group of shinobi she wasn't even listed. _But instead of making him feel confident that he had the upper hand, it only unsettled him even more.

She had become strong enough to defeat an Akatsuki member in two years. Two years and she had gone from being a nobody to an actual _threat_. For a moment he let his mind wander.

What would happen if they left her alone for a few more years? How much stronger would she become then? It had taken her such a small time to become this strong. Her potential was great.

_We can't let her become a threat. I'll ask Leader-sama what he wants us to do about it later. I'll have to warn him about her, yeah. _

"You should pay more attention. You're going to get us all killed if you don't watch what you're doing, yeah. I thought you were supposed to be keeping watch on the camp."

Sakura looked up at Deidara's words and he saw her get ready to yell at him before her face softened a bit and she merely looked guilty. She stood, excusing herself from Yasuhiro and heading off into the darkness outside of the ring of wagons.

* * *

The cicadas chirped in the background, the sound buzzing in her head and skewing her thoughts. She tried to let it become merely white noise, but she couldn't, as the incessant chirping pressed inside of her skull. _Stupid bugs…_she sniffed, trying to ignore the fact that the scene was depressingly familiar.

_Sakura gave a small sigh as she closed her eyes, feeling the grass shift beneath her. A few blades tickled the back of her neck but she ignored it. She couldn't move. If she did she'd break the spell, the illusion that hung around all four of them as Sasuke and Naruto slept and Kakashi sat behind her, quietly turning the pages of his perverted book._

_They were perfect. _

_It didn't matter if they were on a mission, or that Sasuke and Naruto had just killed some shinobi, or that Kakashi had assassinated their target earlier that night and she had done nothing. She'd made the plans for them, but what good was she if she couldn't help go _through_ with those plans?_

_But even if she felt bad, she wouldn't let it ruin the moment. She would push it down and think about her helplessness later, when she was safe in her bed in the village. Because right now, she didn't feel so helpless. _

_She was lying between Naruto and Sasuke, and Naruto had unconsciously curled up against her left side, and Sasuke's hand had moved achingly close to hers. So much so that she wanted to grab it and interlace her fingers with his. She barely managed to stop herself. _

_She knew she should have smacked Naruto and pushed him away, but she couldn't. He deserved this. The emotional trauma of killing someone must have been terrible. She couldn't relate, she knew that, but she believed that just maybe she could bring Sasuke and Naruto comfort._

_She heard Kakashi give a soft chuckle behind her._

_She looked behind her, twisting her head at an almost impossible angle as she tried to get a good look at him. He met her eyes with his own visible one and she could tell by the lines around the edges that he was laughing._

_"You're good for them, Sakura."_

_She visibly relaxed, but her shoulders slumped a bit in dejection. "I couldn't do anything on the mission to help."_

_He sighed, and she heard him shut his book. "That's not true, Sakura. You helped with the infiltration plans."_

_"You need more than just intelligence to be a shinobi." She whispered._

_"True." Kakashi agreed. "But if you weren't so kind I'd probably be dealing with some very unstable shinobi right now."_

_"Hm?" She asked confusedly, brow furrowing._

_"A shinobi's first kill is usually very traumatic, emotionally and mentally." Kakashi explained. "I was afraid that with those two, they wouldn't have anyone to fall back on or to give them comfort."_

_"Oh?"_

_"But you're with them, so I shouldn't worry." Kakashi laughed again. "It's a good thing you didn't kill tonight, Sakura. If you had, there would be no one left to comfort them."_

_"So you're saying it's a good thing I'm weak?" Sakura asked doubtingly._

_"I'm saying it's a good thing you aren't strong _yet_." Kakashi ruffled her hair. "Now go to sleep."_

Sakura blinked a few times, pulling her blanket tighter around her body from where she lay on the ground. What would Kakashi-sensei say now? She hadn't become stronger since than, not compared to Sasuke and Naruto.

…and none of them had been there for her when she'd killed her first target. She remembered the coldness. Kakashi had always said that she had family, and that they would comfort her. But they were _civilians_. How could they have ever possibly understood? They hadn't.

And she'd had no one.

"Want to talk about it yeah?"

Sakura blinked, hearing Deidara's voice cut through the sound of the cicadas. She immediately felt ashamed of her tears, as she wiped them away furiously, sitting up in one swift movement. "NO!"

"Geeze." Deidara held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry I asked, yeah."

"I'm not crying because I'm weak! And I'm not weak just because I'm a girl!" Sakura yelled out, not understanding why all her emotions were coming out in such a rush.

"…I know, yeah." Deidara shrugged, giving her a weird glance. "And I wasn't insinuating those things if that's what you thought. You're so paranoid, yeah."

Sakura swallowed, sighing. She pulled her knees to her chest. "Sorry." She managed to mumble.

"Don't worry about it, yeah."

"Why do you care all of a sudden?" Her voice was laced with suspicion.

"I don't," Deidara answered simply. "I just wanted you to stop crying, yeah. It's annoying."

He heard her gasp in indignation and he smiled softly to himself. He'd rather deal with an angry Sakura than a crying one any day.

* * *

**(A/N: So? I hope you all liked it. Not much to say about this chapter, I guess. I know that there weren't any REAL DeiSaku moments, but I want the relationship to build with time. Trust me, it's killing me to not add any steamy scenes yet either. :)**

**Hm. Don't feel like a pick-up line this time. I'll try and put two in the next chapter. **

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)**


	7. Chapter 6: Eiko sensei

**Chapter 6**

**Eiko-sensei**

She opened her eyes wearily, giving a small groan. This wasn't possible…it was physically impossible for night to have ended so quickly. Two hours of sleep should have lasted two hours, not three minutes! Her body was sluggish as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

She gave a small yawn, stretching. Her shirt lifted up, showing off her stomach as she gave a small sigh of contentment, eyes closed. She didn't notice Yasuhiro staring at her—or rather her abs—until she opened her eyes and blinked sleepily. "Ne, Yasuhiro-san? Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh." He gave a shaky laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. He was dressed and looked completely awake. The other merchants were still sleeping in their tents. The sunlight was dim and faded; it was probably five or six in the morning. Deidara was poking the red hot coals of their fire, finishing with their breakfast. As he saw that she was awake he nodded at her before heading off to scout out the area.

She stood, motioning for Yasuhiro to join her as she went over to the fire and dished out a bowl or rice for herself and one for Yasuhiro. He took it with a small mumble of thanks, a soft blush tinting his cheeks.

Sakura, who was oblivious to Yasuhiro's bright red face, began munching on her food. She needed to regain her energy if she was going to function properly the rest of the day. She was annoyed that she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, but nightmares had kept rest at bay.

_Tonight I'll ask Deidara to take the first watch. That way I can skip dinner and just sleep then and get at least an extra hour in…_Sakura began scheming, before she noticed that Yasuhiro was looking at her expectantly. Apparently he had asked her something.

"Eh?" She gave a small laugh, "Sorry about that. I must have dazed off for a second. Could you repeat yourself?"

He nodded. "I've noticed that you and Deidara-san have a strange relationship…you react around each in a way that isn't common for most shinobi teammates…right…?"

Sakura began to pale. _He knows! How obvious was it? How could he possibly know that Deidara isn't really my partner?_ She began to panic, as Yasuhiro gazed at her seriously, before speaking once more.

"May I ask you a question?"

_Oh god this is it…we're screwed…_I'm_ screwed…_ "Alright, was is it?"

Yasuhiro coughed a few times, his seriousness replaced by a strange timidity.

"So um…" Yasuhiro swallowed, before continuing. His gaze was curious and earnest. "Are you and Deidara-san um…romantically involved?"

She choked on her food.

As Sakura tried to dislodge a piece of meat from her throat Deidara came up behind her slinging an arm around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. He gave a small smirk, eyes half-lidded as he answered, "Nah, but we all know she wants to have wild, mad sex with me, yeah."

"Excuse me while I go throw up." Sakura muttered, trying to push him off of her. It didn't work, and Sakura then noticed that Deidara and Yasuhiro were currently locked in a staring contest.

Well, Deidara was actually staring, Yasuhiro was glaring.

"It doesn't seem as if your teammate appreciates your advances, Deidara-san."

"It doesn't seem as if it's any of your business, boy, yeah." His tone was a bit darker than before.

Sakura continued struggling in Deidara's grip but it was adamant. She finally gave up, sighing deeply as she went back to eating her food. It he was going to attach himself to her like a leech then fine. She wasn't going to waste her energy trying to get him off when she could be doing other things.

"You're rather rude, aren't you?" Yasuhiro asked arrogantly. "I suppose you became a ninja because it was the only profession you could find in which your job would be as dirty as your manners, am I correct?"

"I'm a ninja too." Sakura grumbled under her breath, but was promptly ignored by both men. She merely gave another sigh of defeat and reached for her drink.

"What about you yeah? At least I'm important for something. You're just a wimpy little merchant's son. My Sakura-tenshi can't have a man she's going to have to _protect_ all the time."

"Eh?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. Luckily she was too tired to really comprehend any of this, so she went back to eating. _When did my love life suddenly become a discussion for these two? I don't even _know_ either of them. One's an s-class criminal and the other is a little merchant boy. _She almost sighed once more, but stopped herself and instead took a sip of her water.

Yasuhiro blushed a bit. "I do not harbor any romantic feelings towards Sakura-san!"

"Then why do you keep staring at her like she's a piece of meat, yeah?" Deidara drawled, rubbing his cheek up against Sakura's.

Sakura forced back a yawn. If she hadn't been so tired she would probably have at least punched—or tried to punch—Deidara by now. But since that had proven impossible earlier on she'd waved her little white flag with the hope of getting a little peace for her meal.

If Deidara was going to be her teammate for this mission she was going to have to act like they were at least _friends_. If the merchants realized that she and Deidara did not get along it would only ruin things. Also, if any enemy shinobi saw that they didn't work well together they would use it as a weakness against them.

That was the last thing she needed.

"I-I—I do not stare at Sakura-san like she is a piece of meat!" Yasuhiro's face was now bright red.

"Then you won't mind if I do this, right?" Deidara asked slyly, turning Sakura's face so that it was level with his before he bit off a mouthful of the rice ball she'd been eating. She blinked for a moment, processing the information. Deidara had just eaten her rice ball. Not only that…the rice ball had been halfway in her _mouth_.

Yasuhiro sputtered a few feet away, at a loss for words, as Sakura swallowed, glaring at her 'teammate', "What the hell Deidara?"

"You've got a little something on your face, yeah." Deidara leaned over, licking something off of her cheek. She pushed him away, frowning as Yasuhiro continued to stare in disbelief. "I can wipe it off myself. Do you want to guard the front or the rear today?"

Deidara grinned at her, "The rear." He winked at Yasuhiro who glared menacingly at the innuendo as Sakura finally slipped out of Deidara's grasp and made her way to her traveling pack. She swung it over her shoulder, looking from Deidara who had a smug smile on his face, to Yasuhiro who seemed frozen in shock, to the merchants who were just now coming out of their tents, grumbling about waking up so early.

It was going to be an _extremely_ long day.

* * *

Shikamaru prided himself on always being the first person in their team to get up in the morning. He was the early bird, as strange as that sounded for someone deemed the 'Lazy Ass'. But the truth was, he always awoke before the others.

He just didn't get out of _bed_ before them.

Imagine his surprise when he opened his eyes to see not only were Shibuki and Eiko awake—and eating breakfast—but seated beside them, munching away happily, were Choji, Kiba, and Naruto.

What the hell had happened? Was he in some alternate universe?

He sat up slowly, looking around suspiciously. Was it a genjutsu? Had he been trapped in it during his sleep? Dammit, Naruto was supposed to have been keeping watch! How could he have let enemy ninja get this close to camp?

"It's not a genjutsu." Kiba supplied, grinning, as if reading his mind. "Choji _said_ you'd freak out if we all woke up before you did and think is was an illusion."

"When my stomach tells my brain to get my ass out of bed, I usually listen." Kiba drawled. "And trust me, it was worth it." He went back to his food.

"Shibuki is a pretty good cook." Naruto agreed.

"Hai." Choji mumbled between bites.

Shikamaru just stared.

"It's the one thing that Eiko-san says I'm good at." Shibuki smiled proudly.

"Aa." Eiko agreed, peering out into the distance, eyes transfixed on the woods surrounding them.

"Maybe you can become a chef instead of a village leader then." Kiba quipped, not realizing the insult he'd just given.

There was a moment of silence, while Naruto nodded cheerfully with Kiba's words—just as oblivious as Kiba—Choji gained a troubled look on his face, and Shikamaru sighed.

A small flash of disappointment and hurt flashed through Shibuki's eyes, but he merely smiled with a feeble laugh. "Ha, yeah. At least then I wouldn't screw anything up, right?"

Kiba blinked. "Er, that's not what I meant—"

Shibuki cut him off, shaking his head. "It's ok. It's not like you're telling me something I don't already know."

That was when Eiko placed her hand on his shoulder. "You are learning." Before she stood and disappeared into the forest surrounding them.

Shibuki watched her go, faintly surprised. "That was a compliment from her, you know. She doesn't give them often."

"So she's stingy too?" Naruto asked offhandedly.

Shibuki laughed. "Not only with compliments, either. I think if she had been running Waterfall, every shinobi would have a days worth of food to last him a week, just so that she could save the village money." He stood, dusting the dirt from his pants. "But we need to get going. Eiko's right."

"Eh? She didn't say anything…" Kiba began.

Shikamaru sighed. "Let's just get going before she leaves us behind." As the others packed their things and headed off into the woods, coming across Eiko who was standing against a tree waiting for them patiently, he was glad that at least one of them spoke Eiko-ese.

"I can't wait to get to Rain." Naruto grinned as they began moving once again. The excitement of being so close to the subject of their mission was getting to him.

Eiko fixed him with her hawk-like gaze. "You aren't going to Rain."

…

…

…

"_Excuse_ me?"

"WHAT!?!?!?!"

"But the mission explicitly states that we are to escort you to Rain." Shikamaru commented, ignoring Naruto and Kiba's outbursts. "And I am sure that our Hokage wanted all of us to complete this mission. We are not leaving a member behind."

"He won't be left behind." Shibuki commented. "Jiraiya will stay with him while the rest of you come with me inside of Rain."

"Why is that?" Choji asked.

"Naruto is a hindrance to our mission." Shikamaru caught on. "Because the Akatsuki are looking for him, he will make us a target for any enemy shinobi from Rain, right?"

Naruto glared as Eiko and Shibuki nodded.

"That's bullshit!" Naruto ground out. "This is a mission! I can't just leave. And I can't believe Ero-sennin won't let me come! I'm stronger than I was before! I can _do_ this."

"Do you really want to be the reason more of your friends are put in danger?" Eiko asked calmly, her voice neutral. Then she nodded at Shibuki, heading off into the forest once more.

"Where did she go?"

"She felt something strange, so she went to check it out." Shibuki informed them.

"How…?" Kiba began, but was stopped as they all turned to look at Naruto.

Naruto's hands clenched, and they could see angry, frustrated tears gathering in his eyes.

"I wish…I wish that the Kyuubi was never sealed inside of me! All it ever does is hurt people. I feel useless. I can never do anything for anyone I care about…"

The others watched him with sympathy.

"I almost wish the Akatsuki would just rip it out of me."

"That can be arranged." Said a voice from behind them.

* * *

Kakashi whipped through the trees, heedless of the warning call from the other Anbu behind him.

_Sakura…she's with Deidara…dear god Sakura…_

He launched himself off of another tree branch, his hair flying wildly around his visible eye. Deidara was a ruthless killer. He had probably tricked Sakura into going with him, or perhaps he had put her under a strong genjutsu.

_No, Sakura is too smart for that._

_There must be a reason for all of this…_

But what was it?

Deidara would have no qualms with killing her. Or perhaps he'd try and use her as bait for the Kyuubi! Or did he have more sinister means? Sakura was a pretty girl…

Kakashi felt panic well in his chest, and it was an almost physically painful feeling.

I won't lose her…I can't lose here.

He wouldn't let another one of his precious people be killed by Stone.

Missing-nin or not.

"Fox!" Came the sharp call of the Anbu captain wearing the hawk mask. That was how they addressed each other, by their mask. There were no names, no identities. Just a porcelain mask.

Kakashi turned to look at him, slowing down enough for him and the others to catch up.

Pakkun sidled alongside Kakashi, giving him a level gaze. He'd been behind with the others due to Kakashi's furious pace. "You think it's that Deidara character, right?"

Kakashi said nothing.

Another of the Anbu members, this one wearing a boar mask, spoke. "He's the only person we know of fitting that description. But what would that man want with Haruno Sakura?"

"She's a great healer. Perhaps the Akatsuki want her as their personal medic?" Another supplied, this one female and wearing a gazelle mask.

The hawk shook his head. "I do not believe that is the reason." Kakashi heard him give a soft sigh. "If she and Deidara are really with a merchant caravan like the innkeeper said than we will have the advantage of traveling in a smaller group. We can gain on them and hopefully overtake them."

There was the sound of a hawk shrieking, and everyone tensed, before it launched out of the trees, landing on Boar's outstretched arm.

"A messenger hawk from Konoha…" Gazelle murmured. "What does it say?"

Boar looked over the message, and the way his hand clenched, crumpling the edge of the scroll, told them that the news was not good.

"We're needed on another mission."

"What?" Kakashi ground out. "We need to continue searching for Sakura."

"We can't. Orders are orders. These come from the Hokage herself." Boar stated.

"Bullshit." Kakashi growled. "She wouldn't stop me from finding her apprentice."

"This isn't about you and your feelings, Hatake Kakashi." Hawk said calmly, and Kakashi stared at the man curiously. He had used his name. He knew who he was…

Hawk continued. "I know that you wish to find your student, but perhaps Hokage-sama is sending another team to find her."

Kakashi shook his head. "You go. I will continue searching for her."

"We can't let you. That's a direct violation of the rules, Kakashi." Hawk continued.

"You'd be labeled as a missing-nin." Gazelle commented offhandedly.

"We'd have to fight you." Boar nodded.

Kakashi looked at all of them, then turned to Pakkun, who was watching him calmly, his gaze a little saddened.

"I don't care." Kakashi whispered. "She's my student, my teammate. I won't let her down."

"Then that leaves us no choice—" Boar began, taking a step forward, but stopped as Hawk put a hand out to stop him. He looked back and shook his head, before turning to the surprised Kakashi. "Very well, Kakashi. We will continue on with our mission. We were attacked by a group of Waterfall-nin on our way to find Haruno Sakura and you were separated from the rest of the group. Because you were not with us to receive the orders from Hokage-sama, you continued on with your mission to find your student."

Kakashi nodded, giving a small smile from beneath his mask.

"Arigato."

"Just find her." Came the soft reply, and Kakashi wondered if perhaps Hawk knew Sakura as more than just the Hokage's apprentice. Could this person be someone that he knew?

He wasn't given the chance to ponder it, as the other three disappeared and Kakashi and Pakkun were alone.

"Are we going then?" Pakkun asked.

"See if you can pick up her scent." Was all Kakashi said.

* * *

Deidara gave a small, annoyed sigh. He'd been scouting and guarding around the caravan for most of the afternoon. It was pointless work. He wished that he and Sakura could just leave the merchant group behind and go find the Uchiha.

But she was right. The real threat, the Waterfall-nin that were strong enough to make an Akatsuki member think twice before going in outnumbered, would not pay attention to a group of traveling merchants.

They would leave that to the weaker shinobi.

_But why Mist? If it is so far out of the way then why would Sakura agree to it?_

_Or is there something in Mist that I don't know about?_

_Is it a trap?_

_Or…is there information on Uchiha Sasuke there?_

The questions were getting annoying, mostly because he didn't have any answers. Later, he'd ask Sakura why she'd agreed to head to Mist. One of Sasuke's teammates was from there…perhaps that had something to do with it?

He wasn't given any more time to think about it as he gave a small frown, grabbing the kunai that had been thrown at him and launching it back into the shadows. The enemy shinobi fell from the trees with a small groan, and Deidara smirked.

How stupid did they think he was, to fall for something that simple?

Three other Waterfall-nin descended from the trees above him, and he merely grabbed one of them by the arm, before slamming him against the tree. The man grunted, but Deidara merely grabbed three kunai from the man's weapon's pouch, shooting two at the other Waterfall-nin behind him.

He got one in the arm, the other dodged the kunai completely. Deidara jumped backwards as they landed, feeling himself become frustrated with the fact that he didn't have his clay. It would have made this so much easier…

He did a few hand signs, almost lazily, and watched as small rock spires shot out of the ground in front of it. The shinobi with the kunai in his arm let out a yell, one spike shoot through his foot. As he tried to take a step forward his injured foot gave out on him, sending him falling onto the other large spire in front of him.

Deidara watched the ground become stained with the man's blood, dripping off of the stone spire that was shooting out of his chest.

The first shinobi—the one who he had slammed against the tree—lunged at him with a pair of kodachi. Deidara parried with his last kunai, shifting his weight so that the Waterfall-nin lost his balance, giving Deidara enough time to slam his kunai into the man's back, severing his spine.

Pain erupted in his shoulder and he let out a small growl, grabbing into the blade that had sunk into his flesh. His last remaining opponent smirked, twirling his other kodachi in his hand.

"Just give up." The man sneered. "Even if you beat me—which I doubt—it doesn't matter. That caravan you were guarding is probably destroyed by now. All that you had guarding it was a pitiful little kunoichi after all."

Deidara's eyes narrowed a bit, before something began stirring in his stomach. If the rest of this man's forces were indeed at the caravan than Sakura would be extremely outnumbered. Even an Akatsuki member could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, so Sakura didn't stand a chance.

Boom.

A mile or so away, a large cloud of dust erupted from the treeline. The explosion was worthy of Deidara himself, and it made him smirk as the Waterfall-nin stared in the direction of the caravan, mouth open in shock.

Suddenly Deidara was inside his guard, his kunai ripping through the man's stomach. He smirked as the man's face tightened in pain. "You should worry more about the quality of the shinobi you're fighting, rather than the quantity, yeah."

He let the man fall, before he rushed towards the vicinity of the explosion.

_You'd better not die, yeah. I need you to find that idiot Uchiha bastard._

* * *

Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto stared at the two shinobi standing in front of them in pure shock. This shouldn't have been possible…

Shikamaru's hand clenched, his face paling. "…how…?"

"Who are these guys?" Kiba asked gruffly. "They're Akatsuki, right?" Akamaru growled.

One of the men gave a dark laugh, his Akatsuki robe rustling in the breeze. "This is going to be fun."

"Shut the hell up." The other muttered, annoyed, his gaze fixed on the group in front of them.

"How…how did you survive?" Shikamaru managed to croak out once more.

The first one grinned, the sunlight glinting off his pale, slicked back hair. "Well _I_ never died. And I plan on killing you bastards for what you did to me. Then I'm going to get that Kyuubi."

"Calm yourself down, Hidan." The other snapped. "You made me wait for you to finish that damn prayer of yours earlier. Now it's your turn to wait a few minutes."

Hidan's eyes narrowed as he looked at his partner. "I still don't see why Leader brought you back with that jutsu. You're just a waste of fucking chakra."

Choji just continued to stare at the man. _Kakuzu and Hidan…the one who…he…Asuma-sensei…_

He could see the barely concealed fury in Shikamaru's gaze as he reached for Asuma's trademark weapons that he'd given to him before he'd died. "I suppose we'll just have to kill you permanently this time."

Shibuki swallowed a bit, getting ready to try and speak up when Eiko leapt down from the trees, landing between the Akatsuki and the Konoha shinobi.

Kakuzu stiffened, staring at Eiko who was looking back, eyes narrowed and glistening gold.

Then he gave a dark chuckle. "Isn't this a lovely little reunion?"

Eiko said nothing, as Hidan looked from Kakuzu to Eiko curiously. "I didn't think you had the guts to return to the Waterfall Village after what you did."

"Kakuzu." She greeted, her voice cold and harsh.

If it hadn't been for his mask, they all knew that there would be smirk situated on his face.

…

…

…

"Eiko-sensei."

* * *

Sakura threw up her arms, blocking the Waterfall-nin's kick. She flew into one of the caravan carts, the wood splintering as she flew into canvas and crates full of goods. A few large shards of wood jutted from her right arm, but she bit her lip, ignoring it as she leapt out of the debris, pushing roles of silk off of her as she went.

The merchants were still running around in a panic, and she gritted her teeth in frustration. She'd already created a small crater, taking out five of them, but they just seemed to keep coming.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to turn, just in time to see Yasuhiro stumbled and fall. She cursed loudly.

"Dammit! Get out of the way!" Sakura yelled hoarsely over the noise of the battle. She slammed her leg into the back of one of the Waterfall-nin, rushing towards Yasuhiro.

He was sprawled out on the ground, having fallen backwards earlier. He was staring up at the Waterfall-nin in front of him in horror. The man gave a harsh laugh, lifting his sword.

Sakura grabbed a kunai, running in front of Yasuhiro and parrying the sword. Her other hand glowed bright green, and she slammed it into the man's throat. He let out a choked growl as her chakra ripped through his jugular. Blood flecked across her face as she realized that she'd used a bit more strength than was needed. She recoiled her fingers from his skin, grimacing.

"Sakura-san!" She heard Yasuhiro yell out in warning.

She turned around but it was too late. He was under her guard. There was nothing she could do to stop him…his small dagger, the edges serrated and sharp to shear through flesh, slipped under her arm, heading for her ribs.

She blinked, as the pain did not come, nor did the blood. Instead, a hand was holding the dagger, snapping the man's wrist.

"Don't do that again, yeah." Came Deidara's voice, deadly and cold.

He was talking to _her_.

She stared up at him as he slit the man's throat easily; watching him fall—back onto Yasuhiro, who gave a yelp as he struggled with the weight of the corpse. Sakura immediately made to go help him, but Deidara grabbed her shoulder, wheeling her around.

"What the hell were you thinking yeah?" He asked angrily. His blue eyes were like two cold sapphires, glittering with fury.

Sakura frowned. "What's your problem?"

"_You_, apparently!" He raved. "If you keep sticking your neck out for every little whelp who trips over his own legs and falls on his ass then you're going to get yourself killed, yeah!"

"Why do you care?" Sakura hissed, even though she knew that she and Deidara _shouldn't_ be having this conversation in the middle of the clearing with all of the merchants staring at them.

"Because if you die then how then hell am I supposed to find the Uchiha?"

It hurt a little, to hear that she was just a tool to someone, but she swallowed, accepting the fact. She gave him a level glare. "It is my duty, _our mission_, to protect these merchants and get them to Mist."

"One little useless brat is not going to be missed by them." Deidara scoffed. "Protect the merchants as a whole, rather than getting yourself killed over a boy that serves no purpose, yeah."

"Don't call him that." Sakura defended. "Just because he isn't a shinobi doesn't mean—"

"Don't change the fucking subject, yeah." Deidara warned darkly.

Sakura felt the small tremor of fear run through her as she remember that Deidara was indeed an Akatsuki member. She couldn't just talk to him like she would anyone else. He could kill her. And he would do so the moment she became useless to him.

She swallowed. "What do you want me to say, 'I promise Deidara I'll make sure to be more careful next time. I'll let a few merchants die before I go and save them'?"  
His eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth. "Don't get smart."

"You didn't need me to find Sasuke before." She whispered, so that the others couldn't hear her. "Why do you need me _now_?"

Deidara's eyes flickered darkly, and Sakura saw something akin to fear flit through those ocean blue depths. A secret.

"What is it?" She demanded.

"You're a medic-nin. I might need you to heal me so that I can kill him. Also, you know him better, which means you know what he wants and where he is most likely going." Deidara said coldly. "Now just help the merchants get ready. We need to head off soon, yeah." And then he walked off, disappearing into the forest to scout ahead.

Sakura watched him go.

There was something Deidara wasn't telling her. And why had he gotten so angry with her for almost getting hurt?

If only she knew that he was asking himself that very same question.

* * *

**(A\N: So? Yeah, I know it's taken FOREVER for me to update. I'm afraid my inspiration was running a little thin. :D I hope you enjoyed it though. A hint of DeiSaku in there if you squint. :D Hopefully more soon. **

**Who else is excited to find out what is going on with Kakuzu and Eiko? Just in case you didn't know, Eiko means 'long-lived child'. That was the hint –wink wink-. I'll leave you guys to ponder that until the next update.**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)**


	8. Chapter 7: Strictly Physical

**(A\N: -cringes in a corner, surrounded by angry readers- I know that I haven't updated in forever…I'm sorry. I just wanted to tell you not to worry about me abandoning the story. I never abandon stories. So um, there's some reassurance. I just have a feeling this story will take longer to update just because of my workload at home. Well, I'll let you guys just enjoy the chapter :) **

**Chapter 6**

**Strictly Physical**

Sakura almost gave a cry of relief as the smell of salt water filled her nostrils and the trees began thinning. _Finally! We're here!_ She felt like twirling around and dancing. But the merchants already thought she was a foolish little girl, she didn't need to reassure their assumptions.

Plus…she was getting extremely annoyed with Deidara.

_He's Akatsuki. What did you expect? He's going to be difficult._

He'd been giving her the silent treatment since the incident with the Waterfall-nin. If she asked him a question he would give short, clipped answers. It wasn't as if she really cared, however. The less he talked to her the better. He was annoying after all, right?

_And he's my enemy. The only reason he's keeping me around is because I'm still useful to him._

And deep down, that hurt. But in another way, if made her feel needed, and that was something she had always wanted. She needed to feel useful and needed, even if only for a little. And she would take it from anyone. She would be a glutton and consume all that need because sooner or later she would be useless again.

The tree line broke and Sakura heard cheers from the back of their caravan. She couldn't help but give her own smile as she turned to look at Deidara—and found him watching her. As soon as their eyes met he broke contact, giving a lopsided grin and a shrug as an excuse for getting caught staring.

But then his face became stone once again, and it sent chills down her spine at how quickly he could change his emotions. Perhaps that made him even more dangerous than people like Sasuke or Itachi. They remained emotionless all the time, so you couldn't tell what they were thinking. But Deidara…he seemed able to hide his killing intent behind a cheerful smile.

He could draw you in, make you feel comfortable and safe…and then strike.

And that frightened her more than the Mangekyou.

Sakura stopped walking, turning back to the merchants. "Alright. Deidara will go with most of you to find us a proper inn to sleep in for the night while myself and Shigekazu-san will book us a boat to Mist." She nodded her head at Yasuhiro's uncle.

"I'll go with you as well!" Yasuhiro clambered down from the top of one of the caravans.

"Very well." Shigekazu consented, and the other merchants looked towards Deidara. He seemed angered—or at least annoyed with the predicament. As if he didn't exactly want to be stuck with the merchants.

"See you soon then, yeah." Deidara commented offhandedly. Sakura could tell from the tone of his voice that he was going to give her hell for this later that night. She shrugged it off, leading Shigekazu and Yasuhiro towards the docks in the far distance.

* * *

The entire place smelled like fish. That was about the only thing that Deidara could really concentrate on. No, it didn't smell exactly like _fish_…it smelled like Kisame.

And Kisame _was_ a fish.

Ok yeah, it did smell like fish.

_Dammit…why'd she leave me with these guys? The moment we're not protecting them for this mission I'm going to blow them up, yeah. I've never been stuck with a group of bastards that whined this much._ He fleetingly wished that he was back with the Akatsuki with Tobi as his partner.

He paled a second later.

_Man, this is bad yeah. I actually wanted to have Tobi as my partner again, yeah. _He shrugged it off, heading towards the first hotel he could find.

"Shouldn't you have told that girl where we were headed?" One of the merchants finally broached as they neared their destination. "I mean, there are probably a dozen or so inns in this town. How could she possible know which one we picked to stay at for the night—"

"Chakra."

"Ex-excuse me?"

"Chakra." Deidara repeated. "She can sense my chakra, yeah. Don't worry about it." It was a little unnerving, the fact that he was still weakened enough that she _would_ be able to sense his chakra.

_I'm not completely healed yet, yeah. Damn this is so annoying. Why can't she just heal me completely and get it over with?_

_You know why, _another voice piped in. _She doesn't trust you!_

_Of course she doesn't. I'm a member of the Akatsuki--who are out to kill her best friend, yeah._

_Then make her trust you. The more information you get out of her the better. Plus she'll heal you. _And_ she's already promised she'll help you find the little Uchiha bastard. The more she likes you the better the benefits are going to be, yeah._

_…what should I do to get her to trust me?_

_Fuck her._

Deidara's elbow slipped from the counter and he almost slammed his head into the desk. The merchants—as well as the owner of the inn—eyed him strangely. He gave a weak smile. He hadn't even remembered walking into the building…

_If you two have sex she'll become attached. She's the type of person to parallel sex with love. On top of that you get to fuck a girl you think is—_

_She'll know right away if I start acting kind to her that something is up._

_Tell her you don't want an intimate relationship. You're an Akatsuki member, yeah. Of course she'll think you just want a nice fuck. But she's also the type that wants affection. She'll come around eventually._

Deidara gave a small grin. _Perfect, yeah._

There was no way he could lose.

* * *

The stunned silence surrounding all of them lengthened. Kakuzu and Eiko seemed to be lost in their own little world, still staring at one another. Hidan was looking from Kakuzu to Eiko, to the rest of the Konoha-nin, to Shibuki.

"Is this bitch your old teacher, Kakuzu?"

Shibuki growled a bit in his throat at the insult to Eiko, but she didn't flinch as she continued to watch the two Akatsuki.

"She was my former sensei, yes." Kakuzu spoke in his gravelly voice, sounding amused. "I am surprised that you are still alive, Eiko-sensei."

"Indeed." She spoke coldly, one hand reaching for a blade. "What is your purpose here?"

"We came to take the Kyuubi, bitch." Hidan gave a feral grin. "So hand him over."

The blade whistled through the air, neatly embedding itself in the tree two feet behind Hidan. A red line appeared on his throat, dripping blood.

Eiko gave a small grunt, curling two of her fingers; the blade came loose of the tree and found its way back into her hand. "…that should have severed your jugular."

"He cannot die, Eiko-sensei." Kakuzu supplied.

"That would explain why he is your partner then." Eiko spoke, her voice still emotionless and cold. "Kakuzu…because you are my former student I am giving you ten seconds to leave this area. If you do not do so…I will kill you."

Kakuzu let out a throaty laugh. "Will you now?"

"Ten."

"Will she actually try it, Kakuzu?" Hidan sneered. "Didn't she just hear that we're immortal?"

"Nine."

"She's skilled, remember. She herself is ancient. I cannot remember how old she was when she taught me."

"Eight."

"Don't start with me, bastard. I can handle one old hag."

"Seven."

"Che. She'll make mincemeat out of you, dumbass."

"Six."

"Let's take him, Eiko! Shikamaru and Choji have some unfinished business with these guys!" Naruto took a step forward, but Shibuki stopped him, shaking his head.

"Five."

"Let's just kill the bitch, Kakuzu." Hidan pulled out his scythe. "Then you can bury your old witch of sensei later."

"Four."

"Che. That costs too much money."

"Three."

"This is our fight as well, Eiko-san. Together I am sure we can take them." Shikamaru commented calmly, even if on the inside he was burning with anger.

"Two."

"You wanna take her, Kakuzu? Or can I do it?"

"One." Eiko finished coolly, taking a step forward and unsheathing her second blade.

"Eiko-san!" Shibuki shouted before she could attack. She stiffened at the sound of her name, and both Kakuzu and Hidan looked at the young Waterfall Leader as well.

"It wouldn't be very nice to attack these men when they work for Leader-sama." Shibuki said slowly, as if trying to convey something to her. "Since we may become allies with this man it would be best to be on friendly terms with his suuboordinates."

Eiko looked as if she were trying to ignore the truth in his words before she grunted, shoulders relaxing a bit.

"Fuck this!" Hidan growled, lunging forward with his scythe towards Shibuki. One sword whistled past him and he dodged it with a grin—before he felt a thin wire of red-hot energy wrap around him, pulling his arms to his sides.

He dropped his scythe.

"Dammit." Hidan cursed. "What is she, a puppet master?" He knew that the invisible bindings on him—the same invisible lines that connected to her sword, which hung limply at his hip—must have been chakra.

Kakuzu chuckled. "No. She is no puppet master. But it is an interesting technique, isn't it? Be careful, she'll probably use the chakra to—"

Eiko braced herself and pulled—and the chakra chords sliced through Hidan's body before she pulled the blood-laced chords back to her, her sword whistling through the air before it found its way to her hand.

"…cut you to ribbons…" Kakuzu finished amusedly as he looked at Hidan's many body parts lying on the ground a few feet away.

"Dammit." Hidan cursed.

Kakuzu gave a soft sigh, his threads appearing and reattaching all of Hidan's limbs. He stood beside his partner, grumbling.

"Your leader will also not take kindly to you attacking us, since we are his guests at the moment." Shikamaru grunted, not really liking that he wasn't allowed to kill the two of them. But Shibuki had been right. This wasn't the time to fight them.

Hidan sneered, while Kakuzu nodded slowly.

"We will see you soon then." And at this Kakuzu gave a dark chuckle. "You had best make sure you _do_ speak with Leader-sama. Otherwise…" He let the threat hang in the air.

"Leave." Eiko commanded coldly.

"I hope to see you soon, sensei." Kakuzu taunted, before he and Hidan disappeared.

Eiko calmly sheathed her swords, wiping the blood off of them as she did so.

"Let's go."

* * *

_Damn merchants and their haggling._ Sakura mentally cursed as she trudged up the stairs of the inn. It had taken Shigekazu _four_ _hours_ to manage to get the prince he wanted for their passage on the boat. _Why couldn't he have just been content with the first offer? It's not like they're exactly poor. The merchants could have afforded it._

She'd never understand business and she didn't even try to do so. She'd merely followed Deidara's chakra signature back to this inn, talked with the owner, and then directed Shigekazu and Yasuhiro to their rooms before going to her own that she shared with Deidara.

She was surprised that Deidara hadn't asked for separate rooms from the owner. She was the one who always made sure they were in the same room—mainly for the purpose of making sure Deidara didn't try anything.

_He's a perverted bastard. Of course he wants to share a room with you. Get used to it. _She grumbled to herself. She opened the hotel room door with a sigh, closing it behind her and placing her pack on the bed. She scanned the room and groaned.

Only one bed.

She picked her pack up and placed it on the couch, grabbing a blanket from the closet and spreading it out. She knew Deidara wasn't going to be a gentleman and give her the bed. Besides, with his injuries, he'd probably need the bed anyway.

She was a shinobi. She'd survive on the couch.

Sakura walked into the bathroom with the sole intention of brushing her teeth and putting her hair up before bed. She was too tired to remember that Deidara seemed obsessed with taking showers at night and that he hadn't been in the main room earlier.

She began running her toothbrush under the water, eyes glued to the faucet—when she heard the curtain of the shower being pulled back.

"Don't you know how to knock, yeah?" Came Deidara's amused reply.

Sakura gave a small yelp, dropping the toothbrush in the sink and whirling around. "S-sorry." She took a step towards the bathroom door but was stopped as Deidara—clad in only a towel around his waist, blocked the doorway.

"Let me out, Deidara."

Deidara merely took a step towards her. "I don't want to." His tone was playful as he gave her a lopsided grin.

Sakura took a step back.

"Don't act like that, Sakura-_tenshi_." Deidara murmured as he continued stepping towards her which--combined with Sakura's matching steps backwards--led to her with her back against the wall.

Deidara leaned in a bit with a sly grin.

"I am sure you realize that we are both physically attracted to one another, yeah." Deidara drawled.

Sakura snorted, trying to remain aloof and angry, even as her cheeks burned. He was close enough that the water dripping from his hair was soaking her shirt. She refused to meet his eyes, trying to find an escape route.

"I don't know where you got that absurd idea. I don't like you."

"You don't have to like me to _want_ me, yeah." He countered.

Sakura swallowed, before making a furtive attempt to leave, edging to the side.

Bam.

His hand slammed against the wall inches from her face, his arm blocking her escape. His other arm planted itself on the other side of her. She looked at his arm before slowly turning her head to meet his gaze, fear flickering in her eyes.

His face was mere centimeters from her own. She could feel his breath against her lips.

Her mouth went dry.

"We aren't finished talking, angel."

"Yes we are." Sakura hissed. "Let me go."

"What if I don't, yeah?" He whispered, his mouth close to her ear. His wet hair was now plastered to her neck. She swallowed.

"Then I'll—"

"Hit me? Scream?" Deidara let out a low chuckle.

"I'll kill you, you bastard. Don't you dare think you can get anything from me without my consent."

"Then consent to it already. We both know you want it, yeah."

"No."

He gave what could have been described as an exasperated sigh. "Listen, it doesn't have to be this difficult, yeah. Our relationship will be…strictly physical, of course."

"I won't be fuck buddies with an s-class criminal who is my enemy."

"That was harsh, yeah."

"And the truth." She bit out. "Now let me go."

"No."

She blinked at the cold, dangerous tone of his voice.

"You have no right to hold me here!" Her voice was indignant, but her pitch was getting higher as she tried to swallow her panic. "L-let me go, Deidara!"

"It's just sex, little angel. Don't tell me you're a virgin, yeah."

The blush that deepened over her cheeks was his answer.

"D-don't talk like that! We shouldn't even be having this conversation. You're lucky I haven't slammed your head into the wall and—"

"Could you?"

His voice was deadly and seductive, a throaty purr. And it was in that moment she realized she really wouldn't have a choice if this continued. He was an s-class criminal and a member of the Akatsuki. He was way out of her league.

_He could rape me before I had a chance to even gather my chakra._

Deidara saw an overwhelming fear enter her eyes then, as her face paled. Well, that wasn't the reaction he'd been hoping for. Her rejection was annoying him. Women usually fell on their knees _begging_ to have sex with him. He wasn't used to this blatant refusal. It wasn't helping his male pride at all.

_Make him angry. Do something that will turn him off. ANYTHING to keep him away! _She screamed at herself.

"I'd never sleep with someone like you." She managed, "You're evil. You're using me to get at my best friend. You're a missing-nin and an s-class criminal and—and you're a monster! You kill people because they get in the way and you don't ever think about how it could affect others!"

Deidara blinked a few times.

"So what you're saying…

…

…

…

…is that I'm like Sasuke?"

Sakura stared at him, uncomprehending for a moment—until his words hit her like a physical blow. Her words had described Sasuke almost perfectly. He was evil. He would probably stoop low enough to capture her just so he could kill Naruto and gain the Mangekyou. He was a missing-nin and a criminal…and a monster…

"That's different!' She defended weakly, fighting back tears at the painful realization.

"Is it, yeah?"

"I love him!"

"He doesn't love you." Deidara murmured smoothly.

Sakura merely bit her lip, and Deidara was surprised to see tears forming in her eyes.

"I know." It was a broken whisper.

At the sight of her tears Deidara immediately felt more than just a little turned off. He blamed it on the fact that couldn't have enjoyable sex with someone who was crying. He merely pushed himself off of the wall, walking out of the bathroom. He stopped in the doorway, looking back at her.

"My offer still stands, yeah. Whenever you finally grow up and realize he's a bastard, come talk to me."

She slumped to the ground, holding her knees. Her shoulders shook as she tried to stifle sobs. Deidara flinched involuntarily, before he left the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

**(A\N: Well, I hope you all liked it. :D I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I hope this made you all happy. The last scene was pretty fun to write, hehe.**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)**


	9. Chapter 8: Storms of Convergence

**(A\N: I'm sorry for the long wait. I've been busy with school and my other stories. But I'm hoping that this one will begin to get updated regularly now. Well, enjoy!)**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Storms of Convergence**

_Faster._ Kakashi silently urged himself, jumping off of another tree limb. Pakkun ran alongside him, panting heavily.

"Ka…ka…shi…" Pakkun gasped out, ending in a whine as he landed on another outstretched branch before leaping off of it a split second later to keep up with his master's powerful stride. "I already told you…her scent is lost…"

_No!_ He screamed angrily, the roar of a wounded beast at the prospect of losing something so precious to him. Pakkun had lost her trail earlier that morning as Kakashi slept. He couldn't stop blaming himself for his weakness…he had been ambushed by three different groups of Waterfall-nin in almost rapid succession the day before and had overslept due to chakra exhaustion.

And now the trail had been lost. Pakkun said that someone or something had disrupted the scent he'd been following. As if Sakura's scent had disappeared off the face of the earth. And the entire area was filled with the smell of blood and death.

They'd found the reason for that an hour earlier. They'd come upon a rather grisly scene. Waterfall-nin corpses littered the ground surrounding a ruined merchant's cart. The sight of the cart had instilled a little bit of hope back into Kakashi. Sakura had been with merchants…she must have fought these men off, judging by the large craters he saw.

_That's my girl, _he thought proudly. But Pakkun had been unable to pick up her scent…and so they continued in the direction of the road. It would be easier for merchant carts to travel on the road, Deidara and Sakura had most likely taken them there…

He broke through the tree line, gasping for breath as he looked over at the many houses clumped together in the semblance of a coastal village. He jumped down from the tree, landing softly on the ground with a sigh.

Pakkun sniffed the air. "Hey!" He perked up, tail thumping against the dirt. "I can smell her again! She's definitely here Kakashi!"

_Sakura!_

Kakashi nodded at Pakkun. "Take me to her." _I fought Deidara once…but this time, I will _kill _him._ Pakkun made to leap forward to guide Kakashi to his student when he yelped, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi froze, feeling the four ominous chakra signatures land around him. He looked up slowly…and his eyes met those of the last person he had thought to see in a long time. He stiffened, not even trying to hide his anger and disappointment as he took in the young man's attire and those of his three teammates.

"Hello there Kakashi-sensei…" The young man drawled. "I hadn't expected to run into you here. You're a bit far from Konoha, aren't you?"

Kakashi's hand slid into his weapon's pouch, pulling out a kunai as he glared at the dark-haired shinobi. His eyes flickered to the man's companions as he tried desperately to come up with a plan of escape. He needed to get to Sakura! He needed to save her!

He straightened a bit from his instinctive battle crouch with a soft sigh, knowing that he would not be able to take on all four of them. It would be best to reason with them and find a way to leave as soon as possible. And so he nodded his head in greeting at the lithe form of his other former student.

"Sasuke."

The youngest remaining Uchiha smirked at his old sensei.

He looked relatively the same as Kakashi remembered from their last encounter. His hair was a little different, and his clothing had changed. He looked strangely pleased with himself, and it sent shivers down Kakashi's spine. Sasuke looked…happy, in a demented sort of way.

He was bleeding slightly, his body a myriad of bruises and cuts. Yet he didn't seem to notice any of this as he took a step towards Kakashi.

Kakashi immediately held the kunai to Sasuke's neck as the younger man leaned close to him. Kakashi saw Sasuke's teammates stiffen. The one carrying Momochi's sword did nothing, merely watched the scene quietly. The taller one's eyes flickered murderously for a moment, and his visage twisted into something savage before turning to his placid countenance once more. The female took an angry step forward, "Don't touch him with that you--" but she was stopped by the sword-weilding member, who shook his head at her.

"He can take care of himself."

"But--"

"He is right Karin. You shouldn't butt into matters that do not concern you." Came Sasuke's smug yet somewhat strained reply as he continued to watch Kakashi, swallowing. As he did so, Kakashi's blade skimmed his skin, leaving a small red mark. No blood was drawn, but the cold chill of the blade making contact with his fevered skin made Sasuke's eyes flicker crimson for a moment.

"So. You're as considerate to your female teammates now as you were before." Kakashi scoffed, voice cold. "I am ashamed to have been your teacher."

Sasuke let out a mirthless half-laugh. "Where _is_ my dear old kunoichi teammate by the way?"

Kakashi said nothing out loud, even as his mind screamed. _She's in danger and it's all because of you! She could be dying! You're wasting my time! She needs me!_

"I need her to heal me…" Sasuke whispered in Kakashi's ear, making the older man stiffen at Sasuke's sudden appearance behind him.

"No."

Sasuke's smirk grew a bit at the terse and warning tone of his old teacher. "What's wrong Kakashi-sensei? Are you afraid she'll actually do it? That she would help a traitor like myself? It's _true_."

"She would not help you."

"She loves me."

Kakashi said nothing.

"Where is she, Kakashi-sensei? I do not have much time. I need her to heal me now…and later after I defeat my brother."

"So you would use her as a tool to defeat him then? Because you aren't strong enough to kill him on your own?"

"Shut up." Sasuke hissed, his voice so serpentine and deadly that am image of Orochimaru flickered in Kakashi's mind. Sasuke had become too much like his old master.

"You won't get Sakura, Sasuke." Kakashi murmured. "You will never find her."

"And why is that?'

_If I tell Sasuke, then I can get him to kill the Akatsuki members that are with Sakura for me. After he is weakened from his battle with Deidara, it will be easier to get Sasuke back to Konoha with Sakura's help, _Kakashi thought quickly, his face an emotionless mask beneath his real one.

"It seems, Sasuke…that Sakura is more important to the Akatsuki than you are." Kakashi answered back readily. "She has been captured by Deidara."

There was a moment of tense silence as Sasuke's teammates watched Kakashi in disbeleif and scorn.

"Impossible." Sasuke finally muttered.

"And why is that?'

"Sasuke-kun killed him!" The female member exclaimed.

"Apparently he didn't do a very good job." The sword-wielding one muttered. The female and Sasuke both shot the other one a glare. The fourth member was still silent.

Kakashi watched Sasuke, waiting.

"So she is alive…and the ex Stone-nin has her?"

"Hai."

"If she is important to the Akatsuki…then she is important to Itachi." Sasuke was mumbling to himself now, his gaze shadowed behind his bangs. "That means that I can use her to get to him." His looked up suddenly, and there was a feverish glint in his eyes.

"Perhaps she is more useful then I first believed."

"I was tracking her before you interrupted. They were in the village up ahead." Kakashi jerked his gaze to the small cluster of buildings visible. "Let's get going."

"We don't need him." The female snapped, clearly not liking this turn of events. Neither did Kakashi, but it was necessary.

"He stays." Sasuke's tone gave no room for argument. The kunoichi pouted, and Kakashi was instantly disgusted. This girl was going to prove to be nothing more of an annoyance, of that he was sure.

_It seems that Sasuke was looking for a replacement for Sakura for a while…and ended up with this thing instead._ He grumbled to himself as he disappeared, knowing they would follow him into the village.

_Don't worry Sakura…I'll save you and then we can bring Sasuke back to Konoha._

* * *

Sakura gave a soft sigh, letting the salt air rush past her. She was sitting down at the bow of the boat, legs dangling over the sides of the metal railing. They were around ten minutes into their voyage, and the bank of the village was clearly visible. The air was cool and refreshing, and the sound of the water rushing past the boat was oddly soothing. 

Which was good. She needed calm right now.

She and Deidara seemed to have jerked themselves around in a full 360 degrees. He was no longer avoiding her and she was now desperately trying to get as far from him as was possible, given the circumstances.

She hadn't spoken to him since the night before, when he'd accosted her in the bathroom and made his offer. Her skin still tingled and her blood still hummed with righteous anger as she remembered his smug smile as he spoke to her. Like…like she was some common whore who would fall to her knees the moment he offered his body.

She had locked herself in the bathroom and slept there that night. Then she'd awoken early the next morning, packed her things, and headed down to the small lounge at the entrance of the Inn until the others had gotten up. Deidara hadn't said anything when he came down the stairs with the others. He had merely given her a knowing, amused smirk before heading out the door.

_That man…_she thought darkly, hugging the cold iron bars of the railing, making her knuckles turn white. Pain throbbed in her chest at the remembrance of his words…and the sleepless night she had spent in the bathroom crying.

_Sakura held her knees to her chest, face hidden by pink bangs. Her shoulders shook with every deep intake of breath. She hiccupped between sobs and at the same time, screamed at herself for her tears._

So stupid! So stupid and weak!

Can't you do _anything _right!?_She had thought…had thought she had become stronger. And yet, here she sat. She looked up at the locked door in front of her. It was white, and the paint was chipping. The room itself wasn't anything special. The wallpaper was peeling too. It was a cheap hotel._

_A cheap hotel for cheap, meaningless sex…just what he wanted._

_And she clenched her eyes shut, because it hurt._

At least he _offered_. At least _someone _finds you desirable. Sasuke-kun never would have suggested something like this.

He hates you.

_"I loved him so much…" Sakura finally whispered brokenly. "I_ still _love him." Because she knew…she knew she was weak. She would never let him go because that was the way she was. She couldn't break away from her unrequited love to the lost Uchiha because he needed her warmth and Sakura desperately needed to be needed. It was as simple as that._

_When she saw a stray she always wanted to take it home with her and make it feel loved._

_And it made her wonder if perhaps that was all Sasuke had been to her in the beginning. A stray, something she could take home because she could see he was lost. Lost in grief and despair and hatred. She wanted to take him home and shower him in love because that's what Sakura did._

_It's what she had_ always _done._

_Yes, in the beginning that had been the reason…but it had grown into something else. She had seen the few times when he had shown that he cared for his teammates…_

_But it was something so small and insignificant. The moments were fleeting and gone and he would once again become a lost stray. A wild dog that would bite the hand that tried to feed it._

_He'd bitten her so many times…if only she hadn't been so stupid to keep trying. She just kept getting hurt. She bled from his sharp remarks and demoralizing words. He continuously put her down because that was the only thing he knew how to do anymore._

_He had taken his brother's last words to heart and nothing would change them._

_He did not love Sakura._

_She was an annoyance. She kept butting into his life, trying to force herself upon him. She had cornered a wild dog and it attacked in self defense._

_Because Sasuke didn't love Sakura…_

_He never would._

_"A monster, a monster, a monster…" She whispered, a broken mantra as she rocked herself back and forth. He was just like the monster lying in the bed on the other side of her door. Like the monster that had murdered his clan._

_He was _just like them.

_Just like Deidara. Just like Itachi…he was his brother…he had become what he hated. And it was his own fault. He had chosen his path, just like she had chosen hers and Naruto had chosen his._

_Naruto would become Hokage…and Sasuke would get his revenge. It would happen, she knew it. And then he would have no purpose. He would be lost…and not even Naruto would be able to bring his best friend back._

_He would be consumed with his own self-righteous views of right and wrong. His twisted sense of justice._

_Sakura sighed softly, feeling her tears subside. Her heart was no longer full of pain. It brimmed with anger and sadness and pity. And it hurt a little, but she supposed it was better then the feeling of betrayal and despair that had weighed upon her for so long._

And what will you do, Sakura?

What is _your _path?

_Sakura merely leaned her forehead against her knees and closed her eyes._

_She didn't know._

_Cherry blossoms never followed their own path. They were always blown with the wind. They followed somoene else's path until they could no longer do so. Then they would fall…and they would crumple upon the ground and die, forgotten._

Sakura was broken from her painful memory with the sound of someone losing their breakfast over the side of the boat. She turned, ready to ease the seaasickness of what she thought must have been one of the merchants--and stopped as she saw blue eyes staring at her from behind long blonde bangs.

"Hm." Sakura snorted, turning back to look at the sea and away from Deidara.

So the great Akatsuki could still get seasick, eh? It actually made sense though. Deidara was from Stone, and he probably didn't deal with sailing well, since inside of Stone there wasn't much water at all, only on the coast. Besides, Deidara's mode of transportation was flying, not sailing.

She heard a muffled, "Damn it, yeah." before Deidara leaned over the railing and puked once more.

A small part of her felt guilty for enjoying his pain, but the larger part of her rejoiced at the fact that just once, Deidara was feeling more pain than she was. The medic-nin in her berated her heartily, but she tuned it out as she sighed softly, looking out at the sea once more.

She'd be heading to Mist…to Tazuna the bridge builder and his grandson Inari. She needed to head there after they dropped the merchants off. To…Haku and Zabuza's graves…her gaze saddened a bit.

Zabuza and Haku had been missing-nin--they'd almost killed Sasuke! And yet…a part of her had cried when they'd died. They hadn't been evil just…lost…just human.

_Everyone makes mistakes._

She looked over at Deidara once more, before frowning. _That_ was different. Haku and Zabuza hadn't been hunting down her best friend to rip out his demon.

_When we get to their graves…I can use the jutsu to track down Zabuza's sword…and Sasuke-kun._ Her gaze darkened at the unconscious suffix she added to his name. _He is just Sasuke, _she drilled into her brain. _No kun. He's just…Sasuke…_

It hurt a little to say those words, but not as much as her revelation the night before. So she merely stood and walked over to her terrorist partner. She leaned against the railing with him, waiting as he came up to breathe from emptying his stomach once more.

"What do you want, yeah?" His voice was snappy and angry as he waited for her to tease him.

She merely lifted her hand to place on his forehead. He grabbed her wrist, tightening his grip painfully as he glared at her.

"What the hell are you doing, yeah?"

"I was going to heal you." Sakura spat, glaring with just as much intensity as he was at her.

He blinked a few times, staring at her as if he surely hadn't heard correctly.

…

…

…

"Why would you do that, yeah?"

Sakura scoffed, "As far as I know the Akatsuki aren't welcomed in Mist, and we both know that Konoha shinobi aren't thought of very highly there. If we encounter trouble from Mist-nin I need you at your full capacity to help me fight." It was said with such cold finality that Deidara wondered who had left her so bitter and cold that she could revert to such scathing words that usually came from an Uchiha's mouth.

Her fingers brushed against his forehead and he felt soothing chakra flow through him, eating away at the nausea.

"You're just a tool after all. All shinobi are tools. We use each other until we're expendable." And then she turned to him with a sickeningly sweet smile that was hollow at the same time. "So it's better to be useful for just a little longer until we have to kill each other, ne?"

Deidara watched her go as she walked to the other end of the boat, stopping to speak with a few of the merchants.

_Those are rather cruel words, tenshi. _His blue eyes dimmed a bit. _Maybe you aren't such an angel after all, if you're so heartless._

He snorted to himself, still marveling at the fact that he was no longer nauseas. _But then again, you're a shinobi. _

_There's no such thing as an innocent shinobi._

His fingers brushed against the kunai inside of his pocket, then the headband with it's slash through it.

_There are no angels in this world._

* * *

"Fuck." 

Kakashi didn't even know the curse had left his mouth until he heard the sword-weilder snort and the kunoichi give a disgruntled huff.

He saw Sasuke staring out at the small speck on the horizon…the ship Sakura and Deidara had left on.

"Why is she working with him?" Suigetsu--that was his name, yes, Suigetsu the sword-weilding Mist-nin--asked, "I mean, we're supposed to be getting her back from him, aren't we? And the innkeeper said that they even shared a room together."

At this a sly smile crossed his face--but it dropped at the intense glares from Kakashi and, surprisingly enough, Sasuke as well.

"It could be a high level genjutsu." Karin put in, just for the heck of it. Sasuke's gaze turned to her and she blushed softly. "I mean, he could have done something to make her think he was someone else…"

"That isn't it." Kakashi scoffed. "Sakura is a master at detecting and breaking genjutsu."

Karin shut her mouth, pouting. She really was starting to annoy Kakashi. She was like Sakura had been long ago. He hated that she reminded him of his pink-haired student.

"The Sharingan."

All of them turned to the Uchiha, even Juugo, who had remained silent through the entire journey.

Sasuke's emotionless tone voiced Kakashi's worst fears.

"My brother would have the power to place her under a genjutsu she would not be able to break."

"The Akatsuki might need her to heal Itachi's eyes." Karin nodded. "That would explain why they want her. You think your brother is where she is, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke nodded.

Kakashi's hand clenched as he continued to watch the ship get farther and farther away. "The next boat doesn't leave till tomorrow." He was angry with himself, angry with _them_. He should have gotten here sooner! He should have trained Sakura more when she was younger rather than favoring this revenge-obsessed boy. He should have done so many things…

"Why are they heading to Mist in the first place?" Suigetsu finally asked.

"Hoshigake Kisame is from Mist. He's Itachi's partner." Karin answered. "Maybe they're meeting up with him there?"

"He's a missing-nin. He wouldn't be foolish enough to head back to Mist." Kakashi grunted, making Karin glare at him because of his curt tone.

"Hn."

Suigetsu merely grinned. "The sooner I can get Hoshigake's sword the better."

_I am surrounded by insane fools._ Kakashi thought, and there was no humor involved. He was serious. They truly were insane.

_I'm sorry I failed you when you were younger Sasuke…_

_…but I just seem to fail everyone. I'm always too late._

Too late to save Rin and Obito, always late for meeting with his old genin team, too late to stop Naruto and Sasuke from fighting at the Valley of the End…and too late to save Sakura.

It was his curse.

"It's going to storm tonight." Came Juugo's soft whisper.

* * *

The sound of howling wind was the first thing that woke her up. It rapped against the window of her room as her eyes flickered open and her hand instantly went for a kunai. The window shattered and she cursed as wind and rain filled her small cabin. A few shards had cut her arm, but she ignored them as she felt the boat pitch. 

Her perfect chakra control kept her feet from slipping as she ran to the door. She flung it open and heard a crash from down the hallway. A dresser fell out of a cabin three doors down, followed by one of the merchants rolling on the floor and yelping as the entire boat tilted to the right.

She hurried over to the man, helping him up as the others doors opened as well and people came running into the hallway.

"What's going on?"

"A storm." Sakura answered back calmly. "You should all head back to your rooms while I go check with the captain on deck."

"Our things!" One man wailed. "What if the merchandise on the deck is blown away in the water?"

"My entire life's fortune is in those crates!" Another cried.

"Dammit." Sakura muttered. "Stay put. I'll try and secure your things for you." But three men had already ran down the hallway and up the stairs, even as the boat continued to pitch from side to side. Sakura was reminded of her mission with Kakashi, Naruto, and Lee when they had been taking the prince and his son back to their homeland.

_I have the worst luck with ships, _she cursed silently, seeing that Deidara's door had not opened. Either he was sleeping or feigning it. She guessed it was the latter. She didn't care too much, as she ran up the stairs to follow the foolish merchants.

The door at the top of the stairs was slamming open and shut with sporadic gusts of wind. She slipped through, closing it behind her securely to keep it from hitting anyone. Rain splattered across her face, hitting her painfully from the strength of the wind.

Each droplet was a tiny pinprick of pain, and it was freezing. Waves crashed onto the ship, pushing over the railing and soaking the sailors who were tying ropes and securing rigging. The ship's crew were running around the deck, barking orders at one another as they fought to keep the ship steady.

Sakura spotted the three merchants by the cargo hold, trying to look at the crates piled up outside of it. She cursed once more, trying to make her way over to them.

"GET BACK BELOW!" She shouted over the shriek of the wind, but her voice never made it to them. The ship tilted sharply as a large wave slammed into the right side. She steadied herself, but the other people on deck cried out in surprise, sliding across the deck as they tried to keep from falling.

"SAKURA-SAN!"

Sakura blinked at the sound, before she turned to see Yasuhiro running up to her.

"Dammit, get below!" She hissed as he came up beside her, slipping in the water covering the deck. His hair was plastered to his face and he was breathing raggedly.

"My father told me to get these men below!" Yasuhiro explained as he continued towards the three merchants. Sakura growled in annoyance.

"I want all _four_ of you DOWN THERE NOW!"

Yasuhiro opened his mouth to reply--but was stopped as a large wave swept over the entire deck. Sakura was momentarily disoriented as her feet and chakra strained against the pressure. Salt water filled her mouth and she choked on it as she stumbled.

Then the water was gone and she was gasping for air. The three merchants were yelling, pointing at something in the water as they clung to the crates for safety. The sailors looked over the sides of the deck, but shouted something back at the merchants that Sakura didn't make out for a few seconds.

Then it donned on her what the sailors had said, "There's no way to get him back! We can't jump in after him!"

_Who?_

And then she realized that Yasuhiro was not beside her.

_That damn idiot!_ She screamed silently, running over to the side of the boat where the merchants and sailors stood. "Where is he?" She yelled.

They merely pointed, and Sakura swallowed, jumping onto the railing. She heard exclamations of surprise as the wind and rain pelted her face. She ignored it, however, as she launched herself off of the boat.

She landed on the water's churning surface, her feet going in a few inches before she righted herself and continued running forward. She heard cries from the ship as she steadied herself, thanking anyone listening for her expert chakra control.

She saw a hand slipping beneath the waves and ran towards it, even as waves slammed into her, making her body ache as she held her ground against the chilling blows. She dove forward as she caught another fleeting glimpse of purple hair and pale skin amidst the ocean's swells.

She grasped cloth and gave a small grunt as she hauled Yasuhiro's soaking body out of the water. He fell against her, gasping for breath as waves crashed into them and Sakura went rolling, still keeping enough chakra around her body to keep afloat, even as her shoulder slammed against the water. The chakra shield around her body caused the connection to be more painful then it would have normally, and her skin burned from the slap. It would bruise.

The ship seemed so far away now! She could barely see it in the darkness, but the lights bobbing up amidst black water told her where she needed to go.

"S-Sa--" Yasuhiro began, choking. He was clutching at her in panic, and it was causing Sakura to begin loosing her balance. It was hard enough to stay above the water when it was churning so violently before, but now she held a thrashinng boy in her arms. Her teeth chattered from the cold.

"Sakura!" And his fingers clamped around her bleeding arm, causing pieces of the glass she hadn't extracted to push deeper into her skin. She gave a small hiss of pain--momentarily losing her concentration as a wave hit them and they went under.

At first she wasn't sure what had happened. She felt heavy and she was surrounded by darkness. Above her she heard the roar of waves. But all that met her eyes was the black of night. She fished around blindly, trying to find Yasuhiro. She couldn't see anything except for vague shadows.

She dove deeper--or was she swimming upwards? Her sense of direction was muddled as she was tossed around by the powerful surges of the storm.

There! A flicker of something in the water…it was Yasuhiro's watch. The numbers glowed faintly, and she grabbed a hold of his arm. He wasn't moving.

She propelled herself in what she supposed was up. Her lungs were burning, screaming at her to open her mouth and take a breath.

She wasn't going to make it, as she was pushed down again as a wave crashed above them. And strangely enough the thought of death didn't bother her as much as it would have before. And then something grabbed the back of her shirt, hauling her upwards. She gasped as she was met with the chilly night air. She took in a large lungful of air, even as she landed on the water's surface. She choked, spitting out water as she turned to see Deidara standing beside her on the water's surface. The waves weren't quite as viscious, but they still swelled around them.

"Are you alright, yeah?"

Sakura nodded, "I need to get Yasuhiro up on deck."

Deidara nodded and Sakura noticed his cold, uncaring gaze. She shook it off as she slung Yasuhiro's limp body over her shoulder and began racing back towards the ship, Deidara by her side.

"I wondered when you were going to get out of your room." Sakura gasped out.

"Che." Deidara snorted. "You should have let them all drown."

Sakura frowned, before she and Deidara reached the side of the ship. Chakra control came so easily to Sakura that she didn't even notice that she and Deidara were running up the ship's side until they leapt onto the deck, where the merchants yelled in surprise at their appearance.

Sakura placed Yasuhiro on the deck, assessing the situation. He must have gotten water into his lungs.

She tipped his head back, pressing her lips against his as she forced air into his body.

_Once._

She then pressed against his stomach, counting silently before repeating the process.

_Twice._

Was he going to make it? This was such a simple operation, you didn't even need to be a medic-nin to pull it off. But what if he had taken in too much water? What if he just wasn't strong enough to pull through?

_Three times._

She vaguely realized that the sailors had stopped rushing around to watch her, and that the merchants had formed a small circle around them.

_Four._

Deidara was standing to her right.

_Five._

It was taking too long, he wasn't going to make it! _One more time, _she told herself as she pressed her mouth to his. She heard him give a choked gasp and she pulled away as water gushed from his mouth and he doubled over, coughing.

She sat back, slumped tiredly on the deck.

Yasuhiro cracked his eyes open wearily, smiling at her. "Thank you Sakura-san. You saved me."

Sakura gave him a smile as well, a soft one.

And then Yasuhiro was slammed against the wall of the cargo hold, as Deidara glared at him angrily.

"Don't every put my teammate in danger like that again, brat!" He slammed him against it again, and Yasuhiro winced. "You and your kind are fools, yeah." His eyes flickered to the bruises on Sakura's bleeding arm, in the shape of Yasuhiro's hand.

"If you hadn't made her lose her concentration she wouldn't have almost drowned, yeah."

"I didn't--" Yasuhiro began.

"Stop it, Deidara."

Deidara snorted, dropping the boy at Sakura's weary yet stern tone. She was watching him curiously, as if she didn't quite understand his actions. Neither did he, not really. But he merely grunted.

"You're still useful to me, remember?"

And then he walked down to his cabin to sleep, leaving them all in the still gently pouring rain.

* * *

**(A\N: Well? I hope you all enjoyed it. And Sasuke has finally entered the story! I am sorry for all of you who like Karin…I'm not very fond of her. But I don't really hate her either, I'm just indifferent. But I doubt she's going to get any love in this story, just to warn you. **

**Well, until next time, see ya!**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)**


	10. Chapter 9: Red Fish, Blue Fish

**(A\N: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to write...I tried to put in a LITTLE DeiSaku to make it up to you. :D Nothing big though, so don't get your hopes up I guess. This story, out of all of mine, has been the hardest to drag up inspiration for. I guess it's because my poor little Dei-kun is dead...sniffles and now my Ita-kun may be dead too! Ok anyway...on to the story! Enjoy!**

**P.S. yes, there is symbolism in the title, not just what Deidara will say in the actual story. Look for it, it's deep...:P)**

**Chapter 9**

**Red Fish, Blue Fish**

* * *

"Asshole." Sakura whispered to herself, sweeping up the last few shards from the cabin floor. She was currently trying to clean her room since the storm had passed and they were now, once again, on their way to Mist.

She could see a streak of reddish orange through her broken porthole and groaned loudly. Daybreak already? She hadn't gotten any sleep! She sighed softly, throwing the pieces of glass into the trashcan with more force than was necessary.

There was a knock on her door and she mumbled a grumpy, "Come in."

"Sakura-san?" Yasuhiro looked uncomfortable as he slipped inside and closed the door.

"What?" It came out snappier than she'd intended, and she saw him wince. If she hadn't been so tired she probably would have apologized. As it were she merely sat down on her bed and waited for him to continue.

"I just wanted…I wanted to apologize…" He swallowed, and Sakura frowned as she saw a bruise on his neck, half hidden by his shirt collar.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked worriedly, placing a healing hand to his neck as she brushed his collar away. He began stammering something as his face turned bright red, before Sakura peered at the bruise with growing anger. The purplish blemish was in the perfect shape of fingers wrapping around his throat.

"I didn't know that Deidara had grabbed you so hard! That damn idiot!" She huffed, soothing the soreness in his neck as she did so. "I'll be sure to give him a good beating for this!" Of course she knew she would do no such thing. He was still Deidara after all, and he still scared her, whether she liked to admit it or not. But when she was afraid of something she always feigned anger, and with Deidara it was no different. Anger was better than fear, after all.

"It-it's alright Sakura-san." Yasuhiro laughed forcefully, his face still bright red. "I was just uh…well it _was_ my fault for not listening and all and uh…" He swallowed, her fingers still resting on his neck.

She gave him a soft smile. "It's ok Yasuhiro. You were merely afraid. Panic causes people to behave irrationally. You did not intend to hurt me."

"_You_ weren't afraid." Yasuhiro muttered miserably, looking ashamed.

"I'm a shinobi." Sakura countered patiently. She wouldn't admit that no matter what she said, shinobi were still human. They still became scared, they still cried, they could still have their hearts broken.

They were just better at hiding it than anyone else.

"Sakura-san…" Yasuhiro began again as she finally took her hand away from him and began tidying up her room. "I wanted to ask you something…"

"Yes?" Sakura turned to look back at him from where she had been folding her clothes and placing them in her pack.

"When Deidara left he said…he said to you, "You're still useful to me, remember?"…what did he mean by that?"

Sakura froze, her shirt slipping from her now lax fingers and landing on the floor. She hurriedly bent down to pick it up, avoiding Yasuhiro's gaze. _Fuck! Oh damn our cover is blown…what the hell am I supposed to do!?_

Sakura swallowed. "Well you see…" Her shoulders slumped. _You're such an idiot. Such a damn weakling. Couldn't even think ahead to keep this from happening? What kind a ninja _are_ you?_

"...we don't like each other very much." She finally muttered, which wasn't really a lie.

"But you're teammates, aren't you?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. But that isn't saying much. We never really liked each other but we…we'd been assigned a mission together before we met you at the inn."

"Oh." Yasuhiro nodded slowly. "I guess…I guess that makes sense. So you hate him then?"

"He's hurt a lot of people who are very close to me." Was all Sakura said.

"He doesn't hate you though."

"What makes you say that!?" Sakura snapped angrily, glaring at the civilian boy. "Of course he hates me! He's a damn arrogant, egotistical prick who thinks everyone else on earth is only here to aid _him_ in whatever twisted mind-fuck of a dream he has. He cares for no one, got it!?"

"S-Sakura-san I didn't mean to offend you…" Yasuhiro began weakly, but Sakura continued ranting. She was tired, she was sore, and she was _frustrated_.

"He's a complete asshole! He cares for no one but himself. He's a murdered and a liar and—" She blinked away the tears that had gathered in her eyes and turned away so that Yasuhiro couldn't see. _And I killed the only person in Akatsuki who he seemed to like, of _course_ he hates me. He'll kill me the moment he gets the chance._

"…I'm tired. Tell everyone I'll be down for breakfast soon."

Yasuhiro knew that this was a dismissal and he took it quietly, looking over at Sakura in worry before shutting the door behind him and leaving her alone in her room.

* * *

Sakura groaned as she plopped herself down onto the ground, legs spread out before she laid back fully on the wooden floor, looking up at the ceiling. She focused on a small crack in the plaster as she thought.

_Why am I even doing this? It was such a stupid idea! He's going to _kill_ me the moment I'm not useful to him. It's like walking with a time-bomb strapped to my chest. It's gonna go off eventually._

_This is our only chance to save Sasuke-kun! If we can find him we can convince him to come back to Konoha!_

_…he won't come back…_

_Yes he will girl! Give yourself some more credit! If he won't back back willingly—which I don't see why, with a cute little thing like you waiting for him—then we can just beat his ass and _drag_ him home!_

Sakura snorted derisively as she turned over onto her side, gazing at the door.

_Sasuke doesn't love me. I'm not even _usefull_ to him like I am to Deidara. _

_And that's why you're here. That's the answer to your question. You're staying because you're needed and that's all you've ever wanted, even if it's by an evil s-classed criminal._

And she sighed, because she was pathetic, truly pathetic. She only felt needed when she was with an evil man who was going to kill her the moment he could.

_Well it could be worse, _an inner voice began offhandedly, _you could have fallen in love with _Itachi.

"I am not in love with Deidara!" She whispered fervently to herself. "He's an idiot."

_A damn hot idiot._

Sakura merely slipped off her usual red shirt and slipped on a long-sleeved one. Mist was cold this time of year and they were approaching the mainland. She figured that by nightfall they would reach it.

And that meant they needed to be on guard. Mist-nin did not like Konoha-nin—and she doubted they liked Akatsuki either.

And so Sakura merely tied her hair back in a ponytail—because the locks were starting to grow longer than usual and they were getting in her way—and walked down to the galley. The only thing on her mind was a nice steaming cup of coffee.

* * *

Kakashi gave an almost nonexistent growl of frustration from where he sat on an unused pier. Sasuke was standing, looking out at the sea with a blank face. Karin was grumbling impatiently about something as she pushed her glasses back up her nose. Juugo was sitting in the middle of the pier, eyes closed. His breathing seemed harsher than usual, as if he was holding something back.

"Damn but I've missed this!" Suigetsu grinned as he breathed the salt air in deeply. "I can't tell you how long it's been since I've been near the ocean."

"Shut up!" Karin snapped. "It's not like anyone _cares_. This is a complete waste of time! We shouldn't even _be_ here we should be—"

"Silence Karin."

"Hai Sasuke-kun!" Karin chirped, blushing.

Kakashi looked from the blushing kunoichi to the brooding Uchiha. "This is your fault, Sasuke."

"Hn."

"If you hadn't held me back I could have gotten to Sakura before she left on the boat!"

"It doesn't matter." Sasuke muttered. "She is only useful to me if she can lead me to Itachi."

Kakashi's hands clenched, but he said nothing as he stared out at the ocean. They hadn't been able to get on a boat that morning like they had planned. The ship captain had said something about a storm approaching. So now they were stuck here watching the waves and waiting until the captain said it was safe to sail.

It was annoying—no downright infuriating was probably a better word. If Kakashi didn't need Sasuke he would have run away from this troublesome group of idiots earlier. The only slight sane one was Suigetsu—and that was stretching it.

_I'm coming Sakura, don't worry. When I get there we'll let Sasuke and his team defeat the Akatsuki and then you and I can bring back Sasuke ourselves. Everything will work out…_

He looked up to see the captain waving his hand from aboard the ship, signaling them to come.

_…I promise…_

* * *

"Is this the place?" Choji asked, grabbing another handful of chips. They were at the edge of a dense forest, and the sound of gently falling rain could be heard in the distance.

Eiko merely sat herself down, leaning against one of the trees and closing her eyes.

"Guess so." Kiba grunted, following her lead as Akamaru rolled around in the grass.

Naruto slumped to the ground after him, still looking murderous. It wasn't _fair_ that he was going to be left behind! But he knew the others were right…with his demon he was most likely walking into a trap.

_Dammit! I hate being a liability!_

Eiko looked up at him at that and gave a snort, as if she had read his mind. "Jiraiya is here."

It was at that moment that the toad sage stepped from the trees, shaking rain from his long white mane. "Hey!" He waved with a weary smile.

"Ero-sennin!" Naruto jumped up. "It isn't true, is it? That I'm going with _you _and not them!?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Naruto, you can't go into Rain."

"But—"

"Naruto…" Jiraiya placed a hand on his student's shoulder. "We have a different mission."

Naruto looked up, angry tears filling his eyes. "What?" It came out harsher than he had intended.

"We'll be scouting the outskirts of Rain while the others speak with the Akatsuki Leader. We'll be needed for backup in case things get ugly between the Akatsuki and our ninja…"

"…in case it's all a trap, right?" Shikamaru asked.

Jiraiya nodded.

"Then wouldn't it make more sense to send you in with some of us and leave two of us here with Naruto? I mean, if the Akatsuki are as strong as we think they are than we'll need someone like you." Choji put in, not touching his bag of chips.

"Don't worry!" Jiraiya laughed. "You have Eiko-baachan to protect you!"

Eiko's eyes flickered dangerously, but she said nothing. However, if looks could kill they already knew that Jiraiya would be lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood at the moment.

"Damn! How old IS she!" Kiba asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, if Ero-sennin called her a granny she must be _ancient_!" Naruto agreed.

Shikamaru sighed while Choji shook his head and Shibuki sweatdropped. It seemed that if looked could kill, Jiraiya wouldn't be the only one lying dead on the ground.

* * *

Deidara gave a frustrated sigh as he sat atop the ship's mast. He was balancing easily, frowning as his hair whipped around his face. He was currently scouting the ocean with his scope—orders from the violence prone pink-haired kunoichi—and was finding it to be, quite possibly, the most boring thing he'd ever done.

_One fish, two fish, red fish—hey is that one blue?_ Deidara narrowed his regular eye as he zoomed in with his scope. _Reminds me of Kisame…hey wait…there aren't supposed to be that type of fish out here in these waters, yeah!_

Deidara grabbed a small book from his pack and flipped through a few pages. _Nope, those two fish are definitely not supposed to be here. They're used to more tropical climates, yeah. They can't survive in the cold, especially not the red one. So…they must be summons._

Deidara sighed. _Great, we have company, yeah._

He leapt off of the mast and landed nimbly on his feet in the middle of a group of sailors. They jumped back with shouts of surprise at his sudden appearance, a few dropping buckets of water they'd been using to swab the deck, or lengths of rope they'd been tying off.

Deidara merely grinned, happy with a small display of destruction—cause he couldn't very well blow anything up without his clay and it was _pissing him off_—before he began scanning the rest of the ship for his pink-haired companion.

_A little anxious to see the pink-haired hellcat are we yeah?_

_Che. Who would look forward to spending _any_ time with a little girl prone to sporadic acts of violence?_

_Well you, apparently. I mean, come on have you _seen_ the way she can split open the earth with one hit? It's like…like she uses explosives with her _fists_ yeah! Don't lie, it's hot._

Ok, so it was, but he was _not_ going to admit that.

He finally found the object of his affection\torment\annoyance leaning against a barrel at the back of the ship, snoring softly.

He knelt down next to her with a soft sigh, gaze softening a bit, whether it be because she looked so cute with that small splash of sunburn on her nose and forhead or because he was planning something devious the world may never know. He had a tendency to look extremely sweet and innocent when he was planning something evil.

He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder and shook it once, leaping away. He knew enough about her violent tendencies to know she probably punched whoever had the misfortune of touching her while asleep.

She didn't move.

He knelt next to her again, this time lifting up a finger and poking her reddening forehead. The pressure made a nice little white dot in the center before the sunburn made the skin turn red again. He grinned to himself as she didn't so much as twitch.

_She usually doesn't sleep so soundly, yeah. She must not have gotten any sleep last night._

Poke.

_Hey, this is kind of fun, yeah._

Poke.

"Owwwwwww." Came her soft groan. "Will you stop that—Deidara!" And her eyes burned bright emerald green as she glared at him, swatting his hand away. "You idiot!"

Deidara merely grinned down at her.

Sakura yawned, "I'm guessing there's a good reason you wanted to come over here, or did you just want to poke my forehead?"

"Well actually I came for something else but since your forehead was _so_ large and inviting, yeah, I decided to—"

"What is it?" She snapped, still grumpy. She was running on about three hours of sleep now, which although was better than before, was still not enough for her tastes.

And suddenly Deidara had leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear. She stiffened, stuttering out something as she blushed and tried to push him away.

"Two summonings are following the boat. They probably have an attack waiting for us when we reach the harbor tonight, yeah." Then he had pulled away, smirking as he stood up, stuffed his hands into his pocket, and began walking away, whistling.

Sakura stared at his retreating form, berating herself for being so stupid. He was just leaning in to make sure no one could read his lips or overhear their conversation! I mean, it only made sense, since whoever was following them probably had spies on the ship too.

She put cold hands to her burning cheeks and sighed. This was not good, not good at all. She merely stood, cupped her hands, and yelled, "Oh Deeeeeeeei-kuuuuun! Wanna come over to my apartment tonight?"

She saw him freeze before he whirled around, staring at her in surprise, one eyebrow raised.

_Payback!_ Sakura thought with a grin as she winked at him—trying to be as seductive as possible. She probably just looked like an idiot.

Deidara merely gave her an arrogant smirk—and something else that made her realize that her little seductive wink may not have looked as stupid as she thought it had. "I knew you'd warm up to me sooner or later, yeah. See ya after supper!" And then he disappeared around the side of the ship.

_Good, my room is more secure for talking in private. We'll need to make plans for an attack and figure out why any shinobi would be after us. Also, if the enemy shinobi think we are uh…engaged in other activities tonight, they'll be sloppy when they do try and infiltrate the boat._

And with that Sakura skipped on her merry way, going through possible battle scenarios as she went and already trying to decide where she was going to put the exploding tags.

* * *

**(A\N: So? I hope you all enjoyed it. :D hopefully the next chapter will be more interesting. Oh, and the storyline following Naruto, Shikamaru, Eiko, and Shibuki and them will, while playing a nice role, not be mentioned very often. It's taking a backburner to the rest of the story. :D So yeah, the story is, from now on, going to focus mostly on Deidara and Sakura, and Kakashi and Sasuke. So um...see ya!**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)**


	11. Chapter 10: Tea?

**(A\N: I'm sorry this was so late you guys. Enjoy! :))**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Tea?**

* * *

Tk.

Tk.

Tk.

Four shadows ran across the wooden pier, freezing for a moment at the sound of a board creaking on the deck above them. The moment of stillness ended however, and all three shadows burst into motion once more.

They scaled the side of the large ship, jumping onto the deck and landing on it with padded shoes, making no sound whatsoever save for an indecipherable 'thump' that was drowned out by the sloshing of the water against the boat.

One of them, a stocky, short figure, turned to look at the tall lithe one, as if waiting for an order. The third was of average height and size, and did not turn to look at the other three before running to the door that led below deck. The other three hurried to follow.

They rushed down the hallway noiselessly, one right after the other. When they reached a parting in the hallway the first shadow continued going ahead while the other three split one left and two right, none of them stopping their movements or faltering as they did so.

The lithe, thin figure, known as Mist Anbu captain Asari Daisuke slowed his footsteps as he heard soft talking.

"You're such a baka sometimes, Dei-kun…" He heard a woman murmur, and she sounded breathless.

_Heh. These shinobi are going to be easier to kill than expected, _he thought amusedly as he pulled out a kunai. It really was a shame that they had been hired by the merchants. But the Mizukage had been adamant in his orders. Kill the merchants and anyone who interfered. The man gave a small grunt of annoyance. How was it possible that these two could have defeated the Waterfall team the Mizukage had hired to take down these merchants? He would be surprised if they could do _anything_ without reverting to fucking like rabbits within minutes.

A small trickle of water ran up his leg and he repressed a shiver at the frigidity of it as it slid up his neck, nestling near his ear.

_I am ready, _it whispered silently, and he knew that his two partners were in positions outside of the doors of the merchants on the other side of the ship.

He merely sent a small spike of chakra into the water and it disappeared, going to relay its message to its owner. As it did so, he began his own mental countdown to the moment of attack.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

_Now!_ And he slid the door open, sending a shower of senbon towards the bed. He heard a scream and a muffled yell before silence and the soft dripping of blood as it dripped from the two bodies to the floor.

The bed and its two residents resembled a crimson pincushion with senbon sticking from every available area. He couldn't help but give a sadistic grin. As a Mist Anbu, he knew he was good. But seriously, were they really _that_ weak?

Or at least, that was his thought until he heard a large crash from down the hall and one of his teammates came careening through it, smashing through the wooden door and slamming into him. They both rammed into the wall, pieces of wood stabbing into them.

"Fuck!" He heard his teammate curse before jumping up and grabbing a kunai.

"What is it?" Asari asked.

"A trap." His injured partner, who was called Bando, growled. "The merchants aren't in their rooms. When me and Fukao went for them there was this large—large _slug_ in the hallway and it spit _poison_ at me. It disintegrated the fucking door!"

_Slug_? Who on earth besides the Sannin Tsunade used slugs?

"Where's Fukao?"

"I don't know. We split the moment the slug starting spitting acid." Bando hissed. "And then something just _hit_ me out of nowhere and I flew through the wall. I guess I was too preoccupied with the damn slug to feel the chakra signature coming from down the hall.

"DIE BITCH!"

Asari and Bando both looked up at the sound of Fukao's loud scream, which was followed by a spike of chakra.

"Dammit that idiot is going to take down the whole boat with his jutsu!" Bando cursed, leaping forward and rushing down the hallway to go find their partner. He only got halfway before he cursed and ducked as a leg swung at him. He flipped backwards, rolling a few times before shooting into a standing position. Asari came up behind him, and he was pulling out his scroll as he went.

A tall man—the blonde shinobi who was guarding the merchants—stepped out of the shadows. "Do you guys really have that big of a death wish, yeah?"

Asari's eyes narrowed. This guy oozed arrogance, with his visible blue eye narrowing in mockery with a cocky grin teasing his lips. He was standing lazily, as if he didn't view them as a threat. And tucked under his arm was the body of their fellow Anbu member, the new addition to the team that neither actually knew. He let the body drop to the ground with a dull thump.

_Damn Konoha shinobi. They always think too highly of themselves, _he thought angrily, not knowing how far from the truth he was. And then he paled. Wait…slugs…Konoha…_pink hair_…

"The pink-haired bitch is the Hokage's apprentice!" He yelled out to Bando. "Go help Fukao now!"

And then he jumped backwards as the blonde lunged at him. His eyes had narrowed at 'pink-haired bitch' and he moved faster than Asari could see. Who the hell was this guy?

"It would be best if you didn't piss me off, yeah." He whispered in Asari's ears and Asari's eyes widened. When had the bastard gotten behind him? He merely flipped backwards, landing behind the blonde and running down the hallway to the stairs that led up the deck. He noticed that Bando had disappeared, and he could only hope he'd gone to help Fukao.

He heard footsteps behind him and pushed himself faster, rushing up the stairs and throwing the door open, stumbling onto the deck as he completely unwraveled his scroll, biting his lip as he went. He grinned a bit as he whirled around to face the blonde shinobi.

"Time to die. There's no escape now."

And the blonde merely smirked. "That was my line, yeah."

Asari merely grinned sadistically before sliding his bloodied hand along the scrolls and shouting, "Summoning jutsu!"

* * *

Sakura continued running down the hall, trailing the Mist Anbu who had broken into the ship. She had been waiting for him around the corner, and had punched his friend the moment they had slid open the door to Yasuhiro's sleeping chambers, only to find the room empty. She and her slug summoning had taken them by surprise, but now one of them had disappeared and this one was running away. He was fast, she'd give him that.

She felt a spike of chakra and let out a yell as she slammed her feet into the ground, filling them with chakra to stop herself from stumbling forward as a line of water shot through the wall in front of her and impaled itself in the wall opposite it, now a frozen shard of ice. If she had moved a step closer she would have been impaled and pinned to the wall.

_They are Anbu Sakura. You have to stay on guard!_ She thought angrily to herself as she grabbed the shard from the wall and flung it forward back towards where it had come from. It shot through three walls and she heard a yell from somewhere down the ship.

She merely ran down the hallway, turning a right and rushing forward in hopes of catching the man before he moved again. Had she gotten him? She came upon him, pinned to the wall with his own ice shard stabbing through his shoulder. He glared at her menacingly before wrenching himself away from the wall, tearing his shoulder as the ice shard stuck and he moved.

Then he began rapid hand signs and Sakura gasped as the temperature in the area seemed to drop ten degrees and small trickls of water began to come from down the hall, forming around him and rising into the air like the tentacle of an octopus.

"DIE BITCH!"

Sakura didn't think, she merely reacted. She slammed her fist into the floor, causing the floorboards to shoot upwards, creating a wall between herself and the now sharpened water tentacles.

_This wasn't really in the plan!_ She thought frantically as she ran down the hallway to escape the large water arms that were now slamming through the debris. _Where the hell are you Deidara!?_

This was definitely not what they had planned at all.

_Sakura tucked a strand of her hair behind her head with a smile as a knock echoed throughout her small cabin. "Come in." She sang as the door slid open and then closed again. _

_"Hey baby, couldn't wait for me I see, yeah."_

_Sakura frowned as she spun around, sending him a glare. "Don't call me that. They can't hear us. I put a silencing seal on the room so there's no need to act like a love struck ass." Yeah, lack of sleep was making her a _bitch_._

_Deidara gave a small pout. "Aw you're cruel, yeah." And then he was behind her, breathing down her neck. "But you know, we _could_ forget about the evil shinobi and the merchants and find a hotel and continue this…"_

_Sakura resisted the urge to elbow him in the stomach and merely jerked away, trying to hide her burning cheeks and uncomfortable glance. She merely stepped up abruptly and headed towards the small table. "Tea?" She mumbled forcefully, still hiding her blushing face behind her pink bangs. _

_"Nah. I'm not thirsty yeah." He answered back and she turned to see him grinning at her like the Cheshire cat, eyes twinkling playfully. It made her furiously, as she gripped her cup tightly. That bastard! That insufferable _jerk_!_

_"Well I'm glad to know that I _amuse_ you." She huffed, before sitting down on the edge of her bed. He merely regarded her with a smile and there was an underlying coldness to it that made her shiver. _

He could kill me right now_. She thought as she swallowed, hiding her nervousness by taking a sip of her tea. She suddenly wasn't blushing, and the fluttering in her stomach had turned to nervousness. Deidara always had that effect on her. He confused her so much! He made her blush and act clumsy—like when she had been a little girl running after Sasuke—and in the next she remembered he was a killer and it _scared_ her more than she wanted to admit._

_"Listen…we just need to make plans for the attack on the ship tonight." Sakura finally muttered, shifting under his gaze and taking another sip of tea._

_He merely gave her another smile. "Of course yeah. They'll probably try and sneak in from the water or the pier."_

_Sakura nodded. "We can't use explosive tags. I've checked the stability of the ship and if one of them went off it would completely sink it…" She sighed. "I can only use minor hits, since my taijutsu won't work well on the ship either. I'll have to go for genjutsu."_

_Deidara nodded. "Alright, yeah. We'll set up an ambush and attack and if things get out of hand you can use your genjutsu, yeah."_

_Sakura gave another small nod to say she understood. "Alright. I can put a genjutsu up in my room so that they will think we're uh," And at this she blushed deep red, "Well, they'll think we're here and I can hide in the main right hallway and you can take the left."_

_He merely grinned at her. "Sounds good to me, yeah."_

_"Well, I guess that's it then. You can leave—" Sakura gasped as she was shoved against the wall. He was grinning down at her, his nose brushing against the tip of her own._

_"You look cute when you blush, Sakura-tenshi. You should do it more often." He purred, and she felt her knees go weak. This was soooo not happening! She had to stop it right now! But he was so close…__and the room was getting stuffy and his lips were _right there_ and—_

_"You look a lot cuter than when you scowl. That makes your face scrunch up and gives you wrinkles like an old hag, yeah."_

_She threw the rest of her tea into his face. _

_He blinked stupidly a few times and she merely pushed him away with a huff. Her only regret was that the tea was now lukewarm instead of scalding. He merely gave her a look of suffering before giving a sigh and heading towards the door. _

_"You're so cruel yeah. I swear you're going to die a virgin." And with that he closed the door, leaving a gaping, bright red Sakura to stare at the closed door._

Sakura decided that thinking about the _last_ part of their conversation was probably not the best thing right now. Right now she needed to find Deidara so he could protect her from the ice and water wielding maniac behind her long enough for her to set up one of her genjutsus.

_And trust me bud, _she thought angrily as she dodged another icy projectile. _My genjutsus are _hell.

But she didn't have anymore time to think as another Anbu—the one she'd punched through three walls—appeared in front of her, his kunai leaping towards her chest.

Fuck.

She merely gathered chakra into her hands to use her chakra scalpel jutsu in an attempt to fight him off. As he neared, however, the entire boat rocked to the side, sending her and the two Anbu careening into the wall.

"What the hell was that?" She asked aloud, before she heard to sadistic chuckles from the Anbu that were slowly pulling themselves out of the debris.

* * *

Deidara let out a curse as he jumped backwards, barely avoiding the large crimson eel that lunged towards him. It missed, slamming into the deck and plunging through it as if it were made of water. Which, in retrospect, it probably was.

It came out of the ground to his right and slammed into him full force. He let out a grunt of paint as he was thrown across the deck and into one of the large crates that held the merchants' goods. It splintered, sending several pieces of wood into his back. Damn those would hurt later.

Hm well, apparently the crimson eel wasn't made out of water because it was currently tearing into his right arm.

"I just had that arm healed, dammit, yeah!" He yelled, grabbing a hold of the eel's head and pulling with as much force as he could. The eel's jaws held fast even as the rest of the body did not. The head remained and the rest turned to crimson water as soon as he ripped it from its body. He let out a growl as the eel's fangs only seemed to sink further into his skin as he tried to move.

The mist-anbu merely chuckled, walking towards Deidara. Deidara blinked a few times, cursing the fact that he had no clay and the haziness that was coming with blood loss. _Give me a fucking kunai and I'll kill you right now, yeah!_ He growled in his head. But he was still injured—broken ribs and everything—and he noticed that Sakura had put blocks on some of his chakra points.

_She's thorough, I gotta give her that, yeah, _he silent acquiesced, even though he wasn't really too fond of the fact that she was controlling him like a puppet. A puppet that could kill her at any second of course, but still…he hated someone controlling him, and he wasn't going to let himself be controlled by a pink-haired, slip of a girl who didn't even belong on the battlefield.

But there was nothing he could do. The eel's fangs seemed to have been coated in some kind of paralyzing poison, because he was completely defensless at the moment. And for Deidara well…that sucked.

Big time.

The man stopped a foot away, toying with his kunai. "I'm gonna enjoy this, Konoha-nin."

Deidara's eyes narrowed. Was this guy _really_ that stupid that he thought Deidara was from Konoha? I mean sure, he knew that he was _working_ with a Konoha shinobi but who the hell didn't recognize _THE_ Deidara of the Akatsuki?

A lot of people, apparently.

Deidara merely pinned him with a hate filled glare before spitting up a mouthful of blood as the eel head seemed to dig deeper into his upper arm, causing blood to gush down his arm and onto the deck. He winced.

The mist Anbu merely chuckled before kneeling down, readying his blade. He grinned—right before he was slammed into the ground with a sword through his stomach. He let out a chocked curse and Deidara stared in amazement.

The person who had stabbed him was another Mist Anbu!

"What the…?" Deidara whispered.

"B-Bando…what…what are you doing?" The stabbed Anbu asked harshly, coughing up blood.

"Stay back!" The one known as Bando yelled out. "S-Stay back I'm warning you!" He pointed his sword at the other Anbu. "I'll kill you! I swear I will!"

"What the hell are you talking about man!"

"You fucking demon! I'll kill you!" Bando screamed, before lunging at the bleeding Anbu and plunging his sword straight through the other man's heart. And then Sakura appeared behind Bando, placing a bloodied, glowing hand to the back of his head. He fell with a small choked gasp, crumpling to the ground.

Sakura was shaking, and she swayed as she landed heavily on her knees in front of him. She placed a bit of healing chakra into her hand and onto the eel head, prying it off with her inhuman strength.

She was shaking heavily, and she was pale. There was a deep gash in her right arm. Deidara immediately realized what she must have done. She'd used a genjutsu on the Bando guy to make him think the other man was some kind of monster. The blood on her hands was probably from the other man she had killed before.

"You ok?" He croaked out, his throat dry.

"Poison." She whispered, inspecting his wound. "I'm gonna take it out… before I heal the wound." Chakra gathered into her hand and Deidara merely watched as she began the slow process of taking the poison out of his system.

"You know I could have killed all four of them if you had healed me compeltely and not blocked my chakra and given me more than just _one_ fucking kunai, yeah." He whispered harshly.

She gave him a level look. "I know." _And then you'd kill me too, so that's not going to happen._

And then she went back to her healing. Deidara glared at her, even if it was only half-heartedly.

"Sakura!"

Yasuhiro and the other merchants were slowly coming out from below, along with several sailors. The captain was staring around at his ship in disbelief.

"M-my ship…" He groaned. "Who is going to pay for these expenses?"

"Do not worry." Yasuhiro's father commented. "We will pay for fixing your ship, since it was almost destroyed to defend us."

"You should be more grateful!" Yasuhiro exclaimed to the captain. "They saved our lives!" He pointed to the two bleeding shinobi as Sakura slowly finished sealing up Deidara's arm and back wounds. She'd kept a small bit of the poison in a vial, while the rest was lying in a small puddle on the ground next to them, mixing with the blood that was still dripping from his arm.

"Well." Sakura murmured sleepily as she handed Deidara a blood replenishing pill and he took it. "I guess we're…done...with the mission now that you're…safe…" And then her eyes closed and she slumped forward.

Deidara caught her deftly, eyes flickering a bit with what could almost be called concern.

"Sakura!" Yasuhiro rushed forward, looking panicked.

"She's fine." Deidara murmured. "She's just suffering chakra depletion, yeah." He held her a little closer, as if shielding her body from Yasuhiro. For a second Yasuhiro's golden eyes flashed darkly, before he smiled again.

"Of course."

Deidara merely gave a small grunt. "I'll take her to her room to sleep, yeah."

* * *

Sakura smiled softly as Yasuhiro stood in front of her, stuttering out something and blushing bright red as he tried to avoid eye contact with her. The merchants were slowly unloading their goods from the ship, and Sakura saw Yasuhiro's father shoot him a bemused glance before turning back to directing the loading crews with their precious cargo.

Deidara was standing impatiently beside Sakura, giving a small growl in the back of this throat to show that he was impatient and wanted to leave as soon as possible. After she'd awoken earlier that morning Yasuhiro's father had paid them for their work and told them that now that they were in Wave they would be safe. That meant the mission was over and Sakura and Deidara could continue in hopes of finding Sasuke.

Sakura sighed, before placing a hand on Yasuhiro's shoulder, making him jump and turn an even brighter shade of red.

"Yasuhiro." Sakura began, "Is there something you want to say to me before I leave?"

He nodded meekly. "I uh…I…I mean…I…"

Sakura merely grinned as she leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. She drew back and shouldered her pack in one movement, turning towards the village. She looked back over her shoulder at the dazed young boy. "Don't worry Yasuhiro. Goodbye is never forever. I'm sure we'll see each other again someday."

He merely stared after her as Deidara gave a grumble and followed her down the street into the bustling village.

_I hope that we do meet again one day, Sakura-chan…_and his smile was faint but pleased as he turned back to look at his father, who was calling to him impatiently.

* * *

**(A\N: So? I hope you all enjoyed it. :D Next chapter…Mist Village…and Sasuke, Kakashi, and Team Hebi come closer to Sakura and Deidara.**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)**


	12. Chapter 11: The Drunken Truth

**(A\N: Finally! I feel so accomplished now that I've updated this as well. Now the only thing left to do is update Aphotic Triumvirate…but D.A.Nico hasn't been on lately so that's been a bit hard to do…. Anyway, this chapter is also a gift to all of you who read the last chapter of Shisui and are extremely depressed with Deidara's death. So…hopefully this cheers you up. :D)**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**The Drunken Truth**

* * *

Sakura gave a small sigh, breathing in the scent of salt air. The road they followed bordered the ocean, and Deidara watched as Sakura's eyes never left the water. The sound of the waves hitting the rocks was a dull roar, and the shrieking of the gulls was oddly soothing.

And the look of contentment on his little tenshi's face was nice too.

They'd left the town where the merchants had begun setting up their merchandise. Sakura said they needed to head to a different town—a coastal village that apparently Sakura and Team 7 had once gone to for a mission.

Sakura said there was something there that would help her track down Sasuke. Or rather, something there that would attract the Uchiha.

Deidara still wasn't quite sure what it was they needed there, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the former mission Sakura and her team had had there. And somehow that tied into their mission to find Uchiha Sasuke.

Deidara wasn't used to following someone so blindly, but for some reason he knew Sakura wouldn't lie about them needing to go here. She was too innocent and naïve to lie. It wasn't in her nature to deceive.

"Almost there, yeah?" Deidara asked, taking a deep breath of the salt air.

"I'm pretty sure." Sakura answered back, her voice soft. "I remember this path when we were first taking Tazuna back to his village—that's where we're headed. Last time it was by boat, though. I wonder…if we'll get to see the Great Naruto Bridge. I want to look at it before we leave Wave."

Deidara raised an eyebrow at Sakura's hopeful voice. She was grinning, peering into the distance to try and spot the landmark named after the Kyuubi container.

"He has a freakin' bridge named after him, yeah?" Deidara asked, incredulous.

Sakura nodded. "He's loved here…he inspired the people to fight back against those that were suppressing them. Naruto…he always does that…" Sakura's smile became nostalgic. "…inspires people I mean. He's going to be a great Hokage one day."

"Whatever."

Sakura sighed impatiently at Deidara and opened her mouth to snap back at him when the small forest they'd been walking through evened out and the coast was visible again—and so was the large bridge that seemed to stretch for miles.

"There it is!" Sakura yelled out in excitement, pointing. "Oh wow it looks so big from here!"

Deidara couldn't help but nod, staring at the behemoth of architecture in silence.

Sakura turned back to look at Deidara and he was startled by her gaze. Her eyes were glistening with tears, but she was smiling brightly, and the sun was shining off her hair, bathing her in a golden glow.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

"…yeah…"

* * *

The town was nothing like Sakura remembered. She stared at the gates and _continued_ to stare, brilliant emerald eyes wide. People were rushing back and forth in the streets, and the smell of food surrounded her, making her mouth water and her stomach rumble.

This was not the same little village she remembered from when she was twelve. There were no desperate, pleading eyes or skinning malnourished children. There was no depressed silence.

It was…_alive_…

"What is it, yeah?"

"The town it's…" Sakura smiled softly. "They've really done good for themselves."

Deidara shrugged, continuing to walk behind her. Sakura was peering at the stalls and the people they passed, as if she were trying to find someone she recognized.

"Looking for someone, yeah?"

"Yeah." Sakura answered back. "I'm trying to find our shelter for the night."

"A hotel?"

"No." Sakura muttered. "I know people here. Or at least, I used to. And besides…I feel like we're being watched."

"So you noticed too, yeah?" Deidara asked, eyes narrowed a bit as he peered around at the bustling crowds.

"It was hard not to." Sakura mumbled from the corner of her mouth, her lips barely moving. Then she smiled brightly, "Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving!"

"Er…" Deidara blinked, but merely followed her to the stand selling fried squid. The smell made him sigh. He hadn't had some good fried squid in sooo long….he planned on savoring this moment.

They reached the stand and a wizened old man smiled at them. "Hello there. What can I get for you?"

"Two please." Sakura smiled brightly at the man, digging in her pack for some money. The man held them out and waved her off as she tried to pay.

"No, no, here's some free food for the lovely couple."

Sakura almost dropped the squid, but luckily Deidara grabbed it—and her hand--and gave the man a smile. "Thanks, yeah."

Sakura was paling and blushing at the same time, a strange combination that was making it hard for Deidara to keep from laughing. He merely continued to hold her hand, steering her back out into the street.

"Come on honey, yeah. I'm going to buy you a present."

_Oh god…he really said honey…he is enjoying my embarrassment! Bastard. _Sakura's embarrassment gave way to anger and she scowled at Deidara—who had yet to let go of her hand. "Oh? And what are you going to buy me, huh?"

"Something sweet, yeah."

"Haha." Sakura muttered sarcastically. "You have two seconds to remove your hand before I physically detach it from your body."

"Is that a threat, yeah?" Deidara asked with a sly grin. "I'm _terrified_."

Sakura merely huffed, rolling her eyes. She really didn't like the way his hand on hers made her skin tingle, or the heat rise in her cheeks.

To anyone watching the two walk down the street they would look like a couple out on a date. Deidara was holding Sakura's hand and laughing while she blushed prettily. The perfect couple. Of course, anyone who said so would be quickly and painfully corrected, at least in Sakura's mind.

"Sakura-san!?"

Sakura blinked as someone called her name, turning around. As she did so, her face broke into a large smile. "Inari!"

The young boy looked so grown up now, and he was grinning from ear to ear as he ran up to her. "Sakura-san, is it really you?"

"Hai, hai." Sakura nodded—finally detaching herself from Deidara—and gave Inari a quick hug, balancing the fried squid in her hand.

"Where are Naruto and Kakashi-san and Sasuke-san?" Inari asked, quickly looking around for the other members of Team 7. He saw Sakura stiffen, her gaze darkening as she bit her lip.

"Let's…let's not talk about it here, ok Inari? Is your grandfather around?"

"He's at the house." Inari nodded, realizing that there was something wrong and wisely deciding not to broach the subject here on the street. Then his eyes narrowed a bit as he looked over at Deidara, who had come up behind Sakura and grabbed his fried squid, munching on it while resting his arm on Sakura's head. She was looking up at him with a small annoyed glare and Inari's distaste for this stranger with blonde hair and blue eyes grew.

"Hey!" He pointed menacingly at the older man. "Who are you, huh?"

"What's it to you, kid?" Deidara asked, grinning down at him.

"Who is he, Sakura-san?" Inari asked, turning to the pink-haired girl.

"…this is my partner, Deidara." Sakura finally spoke, "We're on a mission together."

* * *

Deidara poked at his food, eating very little. It was strange for him, since he usually had a very large appetite. But at the moment he was having more fun watching and listening to Sakura speak. She was always so animated about everything.

She was waving her hands as she explained something her friend Naruto had done and Tazuna, Inari, and Inari's mother burst into laughter. Deidara felt a little left out, but merely contented himself with watching Sakura.

"And then of course, Naruto tripped and he and the other ninja went tumbling down the hillside and landed in the mud puddle at the bottom! And he actually knocked the ninja out! He called it his mud-slide-no-jutsu."

Tazuna let out a loud guffaw, holding his stomach. "Eh, that Naruto…he doesn't seem to have changed at all."

"No, he hasn't." Sakura laughed with him—it was a light, airy sound, and it reminded Deidara of bell's chiming. "And I'm glad for that."

"Sakura-san…" Inari looked up at her, his gaze serious. "What about Sasuke? You talked about Kakashi-san and Naruto but…"

Sakura's gaze darkened once more, and she looked down at her hands, her vibrant face becoming as still as stone.

Deidara's eyes narrowed and he glared over at the young kid. Didn't that kid know anything? He finally spoke, seeing Sakura's inability to do so. "Uchiha Sasuke ran away from Konoha a few years ago, yeah. He's a traitor. A missing-nin."

There was a moment of shocked silence.

"I'm…" Tazuna rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry to hear that, Sakura. He was always, well…"

"It's ok." Sakura whispered. "You didn't know."

Inari looked guilt-stricken, and he seemed to try his hardest to get them off of the topic at hand. "So you still haven't told us what you're doing here in Wave country, Sakura-san."

"Oh." Sakura smiled a little. "Deidara and I are tracking…someone…and we needed to go to Zabuza's grave. We'll only be here for a day more at the most."

"Awww!" Inari whined.

Tazuna merely watched Sakura and Deidara closely, his gaze lingering on the tall blonde, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "…you look kind of familiar. Like I've seen your face before."

"We've never met, yeah." Deidara muttered.

"I know. I saw it…somewhere else…" Tazuna tugged on his beard, deep in thought.

"Deidara is a very powerful ninja. I'm sure that his picture is everywhere." Sakura laughed softly. _Oh god don't tell me he's seen a freakin' wanted poster or something..._

"Of course." Tazuna murmured. "Well, it's time to get out the sake!" With this his face broke into a large smile.

"And it's time for you to go to bed." Inari's mother called to her son.

"_Mom_!"

"Don't forget to brush your teeth." His mother called after him as he stomped up the stairs to his room, grumbling the entire way. She waved at the three of them before leaving as well.

"Really though Tazuna-san…" Sakura laughed weakly at the sight of the sake saucers and the large jug sitting on the table. "I don't think this is really necessary…"

"Come on, with that alcoholic woman for a teacher I'd think you'd know how to hold your liquor, yeah." Deidara taunted, grinning.

Sakura huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I never said I _couldn't_ I just don't think being inebriated the day before we continue with our mission is the smart thing to do."

"Live a little!" Tazuna sang, pouring out three cups amid Sakura's protests.

Sakura sighed in resignation, taking her cup in her hands. It wasn't like there was any way she could get out of it.

* * *

Sakura's eyebrow twitched as she tried to block out the sound of Deidara's and Tazuna's drunken singing. They'd been doing it for at least an hour now, and were currently on a particularly risqué tune about a prostitute with one leg.

Sakura shuddered, she really didn't want to know how the song ended.

She herself wasn't feeling much of the effects of the alcohol. Like Deidara had said, having Tsunade as a shishou made drinking a necessity, so Sakura was farely immune to its effects—that and medical jutsu helped a _lot_. Especially since she'd had quite a few cups. But...it was becoming harder and harder to get the alcohol out of her system with her jutsu. Everything felt so warm and fuzzy...

Wham.

Sakura blinked as Tazuna collapsed onto the table in a deep sleep, snoring loudly.

"Man, I didn't think that guy would ever fall asleep, yeah." Deidara muttered, and the drunken flush on his cheeks vanished, as did his façade of inebriation. He merely stretched, yawning. "Well, I'm gonna hit the sack, yeah."

"Whatever." Sakura muttered. "I'll stay up first watch, in case we really were being followed."

Deidara nodded. "Got it."

"Don't forget to wake up in a few hours and relieve me! I swear I'll come up the stairs and kick your ass if you try and sleep in." Sakura snapped out, glaring. Apparently the alcohol was affecting her more than she knew.

Deidara merely chuckled.

Sakura watched him stand and leave the room, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.

She gave a soft sigh, before she heard Tazuna grumbling as he slowly sat up, blinking dazedly and rubbing his eyes. "…eh? What…happened? Where's the blond guy?"

"He went to bed, Tazuna-san." Sakura smiled, before her smile faded a bit. "Tazuna-san…may I ask you a favor?"

"Er, sure." Tazuna nodded, eyeing her warily. Sakura should have known he wasn't as drunk as he appeared to be. Her eye twitched a bit as she figured he was faking unconsciousness to see what Sakura and Deidara would do when they thought he was out of it.

_Pervert…._

But Sakura merely pulled a scroll out of her pack. "This mission I'm going on…it's pretty dangerous I guess…" _Yeah, finding Sasuke isn't exactly a walk in the park. Especially when I'm with a freakin' s-classed criminal who will kill me the moment my job is done._

She placed the scroll on the table. "Tazuna-san…if Deidara and I do not return here tomorrow…I want you to send this to Konoha to the Hokage, alright?"

Tazuna blinked. "Send it…to the Hokage…?"

Sakura nodded. "It's very important that she gets this if I don't return."

"You mean…if you die?"

Sakura laughed softly. "Don't worry Tazuna-san, I don't think I'm going to die any time soon. But the information in that scroll is important and if I do…" _If Deidara kills me. _"…then I need to inform the Hokage of what has happened."

Tazuna stared down at the scroll for a moment, before he nodded as he took it and placed it in his pocket. "Alright…I'll do what you ask, Sakura."

"Thank you." Sakura smiled before standing. "I think I'm going to go outside for a while and take a little walk."

"Be careful." Tazuna called after her as she headed outside. He heard the front door open and close and frowned. She was a lot different than the little girl he'd met so many years ago. She was a full-fledged shinobi now. She tried to remain cheerful but he could see the bitterness hidden behind her eyes and it worried him. He had seen the love she'd held for Sasuke when she'd thought he'd been killed by the one boy working with Zabuza. For him to have abandoned her…

_That boy is heartless. He must be._ Tazuna thought darkly, before he took another sip of sake.

_But that blonde…he's bad news, I can feel it. I don't like his look, _Tazuna tried his hardest to remember where he'd seen the blonde's face before, but in his current state that was impossible.

_…I'd better get some sleep too._ He gave a groan, his knees crying in protest as he stood shakily. _I'm getting too old…_

* * *

Thee hours later, Deidara slowly walked down the hallway towards the kitchen where Sakura's chakra signature flickered faintly. He felt extremely well rested--for three hours of sleep that is--and couldn't help but grin as he hid his own chakra signature as he neared the door. He might as well sneak up on his little tenshi and have some fun.

No doubt she was falling asleep. Maybe he could catch her dozing off and yell in her ear or something. It was just so much fun to see her angry. When she was angry she was like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

And that was hot.

He blinked a few times in confusion, slowing down as he stood in front of the kitchen door. Did he just say…that he thought she was hot?

_You already knew you were physically attracted to her._

_But hot? She's like…sixteen, yeah!_

_So? _

_She's flat chested!_

_She can make the earth explode with a touch of her hands, yeah._

_She's got a huge forehead!_

_Her emotions play across her face and disappear within instants. That's true art right there, yeah!_

_She's loud-mouthed and HATES me._

_…_

_…_

_…god you're right. She's hot._

If Deidara was anyone else he would have groaned in frustration. He couldn't believe he was attracted to a pink-haired little girl who was, coincidently, an enemy ninja who wanted to kill him. Oh, and on top of that, she had already refused him once—much to the consternation of his male pride.

_Dammit…all I need to do is fuck her senseless and then she won't be attractive anymore. I won't care. I'll have gotten it all out, yeah._

However, that wasn't an option at the moment. Besides that…no matter how explosive and strong she might seem, he could tell she was sensitive and hurt easily. She was too innocent. Just like her nickname. A little angel who had been dropped into hell amidst the demons.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Relieving himself of his attraction towards her was not going to be easy, since just sex was out of the question. He merely shook his head, clearing his thoughts, as he opened the door quietly and looked inside.

…

…

…

"…what the hell are you doing, Sakura-tenshi yeah?"

Sakura gave a small yelp as she whirled around, a large bowl in her hands. "Deidara! You scared me."

Deidara grinned. "You should be more watchful, yeah. If I had been an enemy shinobi you'd be dead right now."

"You _are_ any enemy shinobi." Sakura answered back tonelessly.

_Touché._

Deidara merely shrugged. "Well, what is that?"

Sakura held the bowl protectively to her chest. "It's nothing."

Deidara walked up to her and peered into the bowl. "You're making an ice cream sundae?"

Sakura merely looked away, blushing softly and looking annoyed. "Yeah I am, so what?"

"I want some."

"Excuse me!?" Sakura asked incredulously. But Deidara merely grabbed a spoon from the drawer and some chocolate syrup Sakura had left on the counter. He drizzled it over the half of the ice cream he deemed as 'his' and stuck his spoon into it, taking a bite.

"That's mine!"

"_That_ half is yours, yeah." Deidara pointed to the untouched part of the sundae with his spoon.

Sakura merely muttered something incoherent beneath her breath—it sounded kind of like a death threat but Deidara shrugged it off—and sat the bowl down on the table, grabbing her own spoon and digging in furiously.

"But why a sundae of all things, yeah?" Deidara began after a moment of silence.

"I was craving something sweet." Sakura finally answered back, but Deidara could see that wasn't the real answer. She was looking down at her lap, her face hidden behind her bangs.

Deidara merely gave a grunt and scooped up a spoonful of whip cream from his side. "You know…brooding over the bastard like that isn't good for you, yeah."

"What's that!?" Sakura snapped angrily at him, only to be awarded with his knowing grin. She steamed silently, taking another bit of her ice cream. "it isn't any of your business what I do or how I feel about Uchiha Sasuke. And don't call him a bastard."

"Why not, yeah?"

"Because!"

Deidara sighed. "You're so immature."

"Look who's talking." Sakura bit back. Her gaze softened a bit as she noticed his contemplative stare as he took another bite of his--_her_--ice cream. "Look…it's just hard to believe he isn't my old teammate anymore. I loved him…and I want him back, for Naruto's sake as well as mine."

"Che." Deidara muttered. He realized that there were only three reasons Sakura was talking to him like this at the moment. One: she was slightly drunk from the alcohol from earlier. Two: she was sleep deprived. And three: Sakura was a pretty open, talkative person anyway so when combined with reasons one and two, she was practically an open book at the moment.

"He doesn't deserve your loyalty, yeah."

"Ha, funny words coming from a missing-nin. Besides, I don't care what you think. I'm going to bring him back to Konoha."

"You can't." Deidara bit back. "Because I'm going to kill _him_ for almost killing _me_, yeah!"

"Well _you_ can't do _that_ because _I'm_ going to beat the shit out of him and drag his sorry ass back to Konoha and rip off his damn ass-bow in the process!" Sakura snapped back. Then she seemed to visualize what she had just said. Deidara did too, and it was a rather amusing sight.

There was a moment of silence before Sakura began giggling softly and Deidara let out a small snort. In a matter of minutes the two of them were laughing loudly, ice cream forgotten for the moment as their spoons dropped into the bowl.

"Ass-bow?" Deidara asked.

"It's the stupidest thing I've ever seen!" Sakura ranted, still breathless from laughing, the effects of the alcohol seeming to take over, leaving her unguarded as she talked to Deidara as if he were, indeed, a teammate. "It _screams_ pansy. I mean, he probably thinks that the first time I saw him I was shocked because HE was there. I mean hell, I KNEW he was going to be there, we were LOOKING for him! Nope, the first time I saw him I stared because I couldn't believe how much of an Orochimaru clone he'd become. It was horrible."

Deidara let out a loud laugh. "You mean he was wearing that purple bow thing that Orochimaru used to wear?"

Sakura nodded, grabbing a spoon and digging into the ice cream once more.

Deidara let out one more chuckle and shook his head. "I don't remember him wearing it when I was fighting him. But then again, I could probably see that as one of the reasons I wanted to blow him up so bad, yeah."

Sakura giggled, taking another bite.

"And he's got that damn arrogant Uchiha attitude too, yeah."

"Tell me about it." Sakura drawled.

"…um Sakura…" Deidara blinked, looking down at his spoon. "I think that's my spoon." He pointed to the one in her mouth.

Sakura blinked, before staring down at the silver utensil caught between her lips. "Mmmeermey?" (translation: really?) She took the spoon out of her mouth and stared at it, before shrugging and continuing with her ice cream, which was getting disappointingly low.

_She is going to be pissed at me in the morning, yeah, _Deidara thought wryly. _But then again…this is the only time I've ever seen her like this, yeah. She's actually fun when she isn't so uptight about everything._

The drunken flush that tinted her cheeks and her half-lidded gaze made her look strangely sexy, a lot different than the wide-eyed, innocent young girl he was so used to. Not that it was a BAD thing of course…

* * *

Over the next few hours (and the entire bowl of icecream) Deidara began to learn more about Sakura than he had thought possible.

He learned she hated tomatoes, even though she knew that Sasuke adored them. He learned she'd once had a crush on Hyuga Neji but it had died off after something had happened during their first Chunin Exam together—something about him beating up his cousin.

Sakura hated cold showers, but loved walking out in the rain. She often took in stray animals that she found that were wounded, and everyone who ever found an abandoned animal always knew to take it to her. She was living in an apartment all her own at the moment and it currently held one injured cat, a hawk with a broken wing, and a raccoon.

She still had both of her parents and loved them, but her shinobi job had caused tensions to rise in their home over the past few years so she'd moved out. Romance movies depressed her—because she'd realized that cheesy love affairs and happily-ever-after's were unrealistic—and she preferred a good horror film to one of them anyway.

And she was afraid that one day Sasuke would do something unforgiveable and she or Naruto would be sent to kill him. It was one reason why she didn't think she could become Anbu, even if she ever got strong enough to do it. It would mean she'd have a better chance of killing him and that was something she didn't think she could do.

Deidara had tried to get any information about Konoha out of her in her drunken and sleepless state, but it hadn't worked at all. Apparently subconsciously she knew she shouldn't tell him things like that so any information on Konoha's security—they still needed to get in and get the Kyuubi after all—and ninja forces was left unknown.

Finally, as the alcohol was wearing off and the fatigue was becoming unbearable, they placed down their spoons, looking at the empty bowl. There was a moment of silence before Sakura sighed and stood.

Sakura gave him a cheerful smile, "Did you like it?"

Deidaara nodded with his own grin. "It was good, yeah."

"Oh, look, there's a little left." She reached over the table and ran her finger on the inside of the bowl, getting the last dollop of cream. She then licked the cream off the tip before she popped it into her mouth to get off the last bit. She took her finger out of her mouth as she saw Deidara staring at her. "What is it?"

_She doesn't even know what she just did, yeah. _Deidara swallowed, ignoring the hardness in his pants. _Damn._

"That was probably the best sundae I ever had." Sakura finally spoke after a bit of uncomfortable silence as she watched Deidara squirming a bit, confused as to why. "Of course, it needed some sprinkles and maybe a banana or two so we could have had a banana split instead."

"But what about the cherries?"

"What about them?" Sakura asked, perplexed.

"You need a cherry on it too, don't you?"

"I guess so…." Sakura trailed off. There was another long moment of silence as Sakura placed the bowl in the sink and ran it under the hot water.

"Why do people always put cherries on top anyway, yeah?" Deidara finally asked.

"Oh." Sakura gave an innocent smile. "Because cherries always go on top. It's tradition."

Once again she didn't seem to understand what she'd said. And he couldn't understand why he was taking everything she did and said in a sexual way. _Hey, if you wanna be on top, cherry blossom, then be my guest yeah. _He thought with a smirk. He blinked, _Wait! I can't be having sexual thoughts right now. I'm already hard as it is...damn whip cream..._

And why did he have to be having sexual thoughts about the _kunoichi in front of him_ anyway? She was practically untouchable! _Damn…damn, damn, damn...yeah…_he couldn't help but realize that he needed a lot more sleep. His thoughts were getting…weird. And the alcohol sure as hell hadn' helped either.

But first, he definitely needed a cold shower.

Sakura yawned softly. "I'm gonna…head to bed…we can get up and look for the graves…in a few…hours…" She stumbled out of the room with one wave back at Deidara. "…Deidara…?'

"Yeah?" Deidara asked, trying to sound nonchalant as he frantically tried to banish the erotic images of Sakura from his mind.

"…thanks for listening…" And then she was gone.

* * *

**(A\N: So? I hope you guys liked it. I think this one gave a little more insight into Sakura and Deidara's growing relationship. And just remember, they are both drunk. That's why Sakura is telling him so many things and talking about Sasuke like that and why Deidara is having trouble keeping his thoughts awayfrom being perverted. Anyway, the next chapter…Sakura and Deidara continue their mission…and meet up with an old teammate.)**


	13. Chapter 12: Useless

**(A\N: I'm sorry this took so long to write. But I hope you all enjoy the chapter! :))**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**Useless**

* * *

The next morning Sakura and Deidara both somehow stumbled down to the kitchen nursing headaches—well in Deidara's case, Sakura wasn't a medic-nin with an alcoholic shishou for nothing—and trying not to meet each other's eyes. Neither knew how much the other remembered of their conversation—and didn't want to know, judging by the soft pink tint dusting their cheeks.

"Morning." Sakura murmured to Inari, Tazuna, and Inari's mother.

"Good morning!" Inari chirped, grinning, before he sent a glare Deidara's way—he still apparently disliked the man, even if he had learned to tolerate him. "So, Grandfather says you're heading out on your mission today. Is that true?"

Sakura nodded, but it was Deidara who answered.

"Yeah, we're busy squirt, so we gotta get going, yeah. Some of us have important things to do after all." It was an annoyed grumble, because Deidara—unlike Sakura—still _had_ his headache and hadn't gotten much sleep the night before during his few hours not on guard duty.

Having dreams about his pink-haired partner were the reason for that, of course. And they definitely weren't _innocent_ dreams. He almost let out a frustrated moan. She was sixteen for heaven's sake! And she was _annoying_ and flat-chested—ok she wasn't flat-chested, she just wasn't as…well-endowed as he liked his women—and she had violent tendencies!  
But he'd had this conversation with himself many times before, and the argument always ended with him more confused and frustrated than what he started out with.

"You'll be coming back later after the mission then?" Tazuna asked offhandedly, and Sakura met his eyes. His own gaze was grave and…worried? She knew what he was getting at though. He didn't want to deliver the message to Konoha.

"If we can, we'll definitely drop by to say goodbye." Sakura smiled back, and Tazuna grunted before nodding. It was the best promise she could make to him, and to any of the others it would seem like a normal conversation.

"Yay! Maybe you can stay for the big festival!" Inari grinned. "All the merchants are coming with their supplies. We get things from all across the world."

"Oh wow, that sounds pretty cool." Sakura agreed, grinning down at the younger boy, causing him to blush softly. "Well, I don't know if we can. It would all depend on how smoothly our mission goes."

"We probably won't be able to, yeah." Deidara cut in, sounding grumpy. "So don't get your hopes up."

Both Sakura and Inari frowned, but for different reasons.

"You're such an asshole." Inari snarled out. "You're always mean to everyone. What kind of a Konoha shinobi are you?"

_I'm _not_ a Konoha shinobi you little dick-headed punk!_ Deidara yelled back silently, his only outward show of his frustration being the way his eyes narrowed. His mood soured even more as he heard Sakura cough lightly to hide her laughter.

He turned to give her a glare but as he did so, a cool hand brushed against his forehead and he blinked. He felt the chakra running down her fingertips and easing the aches and all he could do was stare at her blankly.

As she continued to heal his headache she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "He's right, don't be such an ass Deidara. The way you talk, it sounds like you're jealous."

Deidara laughed. "There's nothing to be jealous of, unless I was a sick freak who didn't mind ugly girls, yeah."

He saw the heat rise in Sakura's cheeks and anger glitter in her eyes as she bit her lip to keep from yelling obscenities at him. She merely pulled away, and the cool feel of her chakra left him. He felt strangely empty, but he brushed the thought aside as Sakura mumbled under her breath, taking a sip of her tea.

"That's the last time I heal _your_ fucking hangover."

He merely grinned as he took a bite of the rice ball Inari's mother had handed him.

* * *

They set out at a steady pace an hour later, after long goodbyes on Sakura's part. Deidara merely shrugged off the way Inari's mother said it was nice meeting him. He knew it was a lie. They were only cordial to Deidara because he was Sakura's teammate. He already knew that. He was used to not being wanted.

"That little Inari kid has a crush on you, yeah." Deidara finally spoke, to get rid of the silence that surrounded the two of them.

"I didn't notice." Sakura shrugged, her voice bland. "He's just at the age that he's getting into girls now. He'd blush no matter who it was."

"Whatever, yeah."

"Stop it." Sakura finally bit out, after they'd fallen into uncomfortable silence once more. Her footsteps beside him were heavy and angered, and she was glaring at the road ahead of them.

Deidara blinked, turning to look at her, "Stop what, yeah?"

"Stop acting like you actually want to have a pleasant conversation with me!" Sakura snapped, green eyes flashing. "We're _enemies_! Don't forget it! And while we're at it, forget everything I said last night, too. It was the alcohol talking."

She glared down at the ground, hands shaking. She was mad at herself, and mad at him. He was making her feel when she didn't want to. He was making her misjudge herself and second-guess her feelings. He was…making her like him. And she hated that, because she was a tool to him and in the end she would lose her usefulness and they would be trying to kill each other.

And she hated him because she didn't even know if it was worth it anymore. She didn't know if this whole damn mission was worth it, her stupid plan to bring back Sasuke.

When Deidara had told her in the bathroom a few weeks ago—it seemed like centuries to her—about Sasuke, and had made her see what she had been hiding from herself for so long…she had begun an invisible battle within herself over her feelings.

She had once loved Sasuke, and she had thought she still did. But…now she wasn't so sure. He was cruel. He was a monster. And Deidara's words had made her remember that time so long ago when she and the rest of Team Kakashi had gone to Orochimaru's lair to find him again. She had made to attack Sasuke and he would have killed her without hesitation. He had changed, and he would never be the same Sasuke she had once loved.

And now Deidara had entered her life, and he made her feel strange. She got butterflies in her stomach when he smiled, and he was so infuriatingly cocky that it was strangely endearing. He was like Naruto but more mature, and he was observant in a way the Kyuubi container would never be.

And it hurt a little, when she realized that she was, at the very least, slightly attatched to him. Physical attraction and perhaps a bit of comraderie. It hurt…because she knew it wasn't mutual—oh the physical attraction was there, he'd said so himself. But Deidara was a killer and a criminal. And when this was over with…he would end up trying to kill her to get what he wanted.

And she wasn't even sure she wanted it anymore.

"I guess you're right, yeah."

Sakura looked over to see Deidara's face strangely blank. He was staring ahead of them, towards the forest that the road was leading them into. "We _are_ enemies. We're just working together to find the Uchiha, yeah. And when we do—"

"I'll kill you."

Deidara blinked, because he and Sakura had said it at the same time. She was looking at him with a cold, glittering emerald gaze. And there was something besides hatred and anger shining there. Were those…tears?

Sakura looked away hurriedly under her scrutinizing gaze. It was true, what she had said. In the end, they would both try and kill one another. Because in the end…she would lose her usefulness. She hated that feeling, the thought that she would be useless and weak when it was all said and done.

Deidara merely gave Sakura a dry grin, "Yeah, I guess we'll just have to see who wins, huh?"

"Sasuke will probably kill you anyway." Sakura bit out. "And then I'll take him back to Konoha."

"Che, I'm not losing to the ass-bow wearing bastard this time, yeah." Deidara bit out.

He heard Sakura give a small half-sob, half-laugh, and she put a hand to her mouth to stop it. She tried to hide the tears as well as the smile that was breaking across her face by turning to look at the trees.

The truth was, she didn't want Deidara to die. A small part of her was telling her that if it came down to it, she'd have to chose between helping Sasuke or helping Deidara. And at the moment she didn't know who she would help.

And then Deidara had made that stupid comment about the ass-bow and had completely ruined the somber, hatred-filled moment between them. It was as if it was gone, and the way they'd talked about killing one another had merely been a casual joke, a little tease. Because as she looked over—tears now gone—Deidara was grinning his Cheshire grin at her, blue eyes sparkling.

But looks could be deceiving, and she knew that Deidara had the worst kind of poker-face. It wasn't merely emotionless, it was…_deceiving_ in its emotion. You never knew if he was being sincere or just faking his smile.

But she merely smiled back—the fake smile she had used so often—and wondered if he could see through her.

He did, and a part of him couldn't help but grin even further. She was so easy to read. She was everything she tried not to be: a young teenage girl who loved and cared too easily. She would be so easy to manipulate in the future.

But a bigger part of him hated that smile. It reminded him of when he was younger when he had lived in Stone. He had always been made fun of as a child, and so he had learned quick to make fake smiles that really weren't as good as he thought.

And he also felt a little guilty, strangely enough. Deidara of the Akatsuki _never_ felt guilty about _anything._ He did things and kept moving, never looking back, never thinking of the consequences. He was impulsive and explosive just like his art and he liked it that way.

But he _did_ feel guilty, even if just a little bit.

They merely drifted off into uncomfortable silence. The sound of their sandals against the dirt path seemed to echo, and Deidara almost flinched as a bird launched itself off of a nearby tree branch with a loud shriek.

Was it so wrong that for once, Deidara wanted to keep something instead of destroying it? He didn't allow himself to think about it, because thinking on stupid things like his growing affection for the little pink-haired medic would only make his head hurt more than it was already.

After all, he had pissed off Sakura earlier, before she could completely soothe his hangover.

But he couldn't help but smile at the thought. She always looked better when she was expressing a strong emotion. He loved that about her. She changed so quickly, and her emotions always showed on her face. She was like his clay bombs, ready to explode at any given moment.

"So if you're in the Akatsuki…I guess you know Uchiha Itachi right?" Sakura finally asked, gazing up at him.

Deidara blinked, before he snorted derisively. "Yeah." He remembered the older Uchiha alright...being an egotistical bastard seemed to be an inherited trait of the family.

Sakura felt the disdain in his voice and knew it was probably better to change the subject. "I guess the Akatsuki don't really get along very well…"

"That's an understatement, yeah."

"But you liked Sasori." Sakura continued lightly.

Deidara shrugged. "Some of the members are more likeable than others, yeah."

"I see." Sakura was just trying to make the mood around them lighter. She swallowed, because her chest was tightening painfully and nervousness was rolling in her stomach. What would happen when she used the jutsu and tracked down Sasuke and his team? And the mention of Sasori made her remember that Deidara had been his partner and she had _killed_ him.

Just one more reason for Deidara to hate her guts. Great.

While she was brooding, Deidara was still thinking about the small box she held in her hands. He still didn't understand why Sakura had made them head to the market before they went to the graves. The box itself held inscence that she had explained she was going to put on Zabuza and Haku's graves.

"Why would you care anyway, yeah?" Deidara finally asked. "I mean, they tried to kill you didn't they?"

"Eh?" Sakura blinked, looking at him in confusion for a moment, before she followed his gaze to the box in her hands.

"Oh…" She murmured. "…they were just doing their job, right?" She asked softy, green eyes pleading and innocent. "I don't see why they should be condemned for it."

Deidara merely grunted.

Sakura gave an almost bitter smile. "Besides…I wasn't of any use on that mission anyway. I didn't kill them. I just sat by and watched from the sidelines."

There was a long moment of silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable as they continued to walk, hearing the distant sound of the waves and the gulls as a cooling breeze blew through the trees/

"We're a lot alike, actually, yeah." Deidara commented offhandedly.

"I'm nothing like you!" Sakura snapped, seemingly horrified that he'd say such a thing.

He grinned, turning to look at her from where he lay on the ground, arms behind his head. "Really? We both destroy things, we both kill things. We were both underestimated when we were younger, yeah."

"Che." Sakura scoffed, only slightly realizing that he'd actually told her something about his past. He'd been thought of as weak too?

"And our fighting styles are similar too, yeah."

"How so?"

"I blow things up with clay, and you blow things up with that inhuman strength of yours." He let out a small laugh, remembering the time when and Sasori had been sitting at the base, waiting for the Konoha shinobi to enter to save Gaara. The boulder had been blown to smithereens.

"I…I guess…"

"We go well together, yeah." Deidara teased, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her towards him. She blushed softly, before pushing him off.

"Go charm someone else, lover boy." She muttered.

Deidara only grinned as they continued on their way.

* * *

"Man…I didn't remember how much I hated this place until now." Suigetsu muttered as they stepped off of the ship.

Kakashi grunted, shifting his traveling pack on his shoulder and continuing forward down the dock.

"Get back here you idiot!" Karin pushed past Kakashi on her way towards Suigetsu. Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly as he grunted, taking a step to the side to keep from losing his footing due to the kunoichi's push.

Juugo came up beside Kakashi and there was a small smile on his face. They continued walking in silence, watching Karin argue with Suigetsu about something as she tried to reach Sasuke, who was walking ahead of them and had already disappeared into the bustling crowd.

"Were you really Sasuke-sama's sensei?'

Kakashi blinked, before looking up at the taller man. He shrugged. "Sasuke is no longer my student. I would appreciate it if you didn't mention that he was."

"Why?"

"Sasuke has become dead to me. He has betrayed his village and his teammates more than once."

"Sasuke-sama has never been cruel to me." Juugo murmured.

Kakashi snorted. "That is because you haven't lost your usefulness, I suppose."

"Yes…" Juugo whispered, his face suddenly darkened and morose. "My…usefulness…I'm glad it hasn't run out yet."

They fell into silence once more, coming up on Karin and Suigetsu who were walking into a restaurant.

"We should be tracking down my student." Kakashi muttered as he and Juugo followed the two inside of the smoke-filled building.

Karin ran towards where Sasuke was already placidly sitting at a low-sitting table. She immediately took the seat next to him, smiling softly as she somehow managed to summon a soft blush to her cheeks, fluttering her eyelashes as she leaned closer.

He edged closer to the wall, cursing the fact that he had sat in the corner where escape was inevitable. Usually he would have taken a seat that was the easiest to get out from, the closest to the exit—it was just easier that way—but his mind had been on other things as he had sat down and gruffly ordered his tea.

Suigetsu sat on Karin's other side, mumbling about a "red-haired bitch" and how he was only sitting next to her because he wasn't sure when Juugo would go on one of his random berserk rampages.

Kakashi sat opposite Suigetsu, and Juugo was sitting opposite Karin and Sasuke, his broad shoulders making him take up more room than his slender-built companions.

The others ordered their food but Kakashi remained silent, not bothering to order at all. He shouldn't be here. He needed to be looking for Sakura! She could be in danger—she could be _dead_. And Sasuke wasn't worried at all. He only saw her for her usefulness, and so he continued to sip his tea calmly while the others waited for their food to arrive.

"What is she like?"

Kakashi blinked, before looking back at Juugo, who seemed to be rather talkative today, if the confused looks of his companions were any indication.

"You student." Juugo smiled shyly. "What is she like?"

"Sakura?" Kakashi asked softly, and at Juugo's small nod he sighed. He didn't really want to talk about her right now—not when they were so close and were just _sitting _here. But he saw that Sasuke had stopped drinking his tea and was watching Kakashi through dark, half-lidded eyes.

Karin—who was clutching Sasuke's arm like a wanton whore (in Kakashi's opinion)—turned to look at Kakashi as well, noticing Sasuke's sudden interest. _What's so great about this girl that Sasuke wants to know about her, eh?_ Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses.

Suigetsu raised an eyebrow, seeing that everyone else was waiting for Kakashi to speak expectantly. He himself didn't really care—as long as in the end he got Kisame's sword he wasn't too worried with everything else that happened.

"She is…" Kakashi began, and at the sound of his voice everyone looked at him expectantly.

"…a very powerful kunoichi and the student that I am the most proud of."

Karin's eyes narrowed. "Powerful?"

Kakashi nodded. "She is an exceptional medic-nin, as I'm sure your…team leader has explained to you." As he saw the speculative looks in Team Hebi's eyes he could only smile softly to himself. So…Sasuke had kept all of this information to himself. "She is the Godaime Hokage's apprentice."

"_That_ Haruno Sakura!? The one who killed Sasori of the Red Sand?" Karin shrieked out, and the entire restaurant became silent for a moment, before the soft buzz of conversation picked up again. Sasuke shot Karin a withering glare and she swallowed, looking meek and mumbling an apology.

"She had help." Sasuke drawled. "She isn't as strong as everyone thinks."

"You're wrong."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed before his gaze met Kakashi's. "Is that so?" He sneered.

"You always were horrible at reading people, Sasuke. But I guess since you were so engrossed in your own personal problems that you were blind to everyone else's. When you don't give a rat's ass about anything but deluded thoughts of revenge I suppose it is hard to pay attention to your teammates." And Kakashi couldn't help but let his smile widen beneath his mask as crimson flitted in Sasuke's eyes. He knew Sasuke couldn't attack him here—they needed him and plus they were in a crowded place at the moment.

"Don't you dare talk about Sasuke like that—" Karin began, but was stopped as Kakashi continued, his own voice cold and stern.

"Sakura has become an exceptional kunoichi. She has more than just her strength and medic skills. You know as well as I do that Sakura was skilled in genjutsu, Sasuke. It's her specialty. She has perfect chakra control—something even your Sharingan can't copy—and her loyalty to her village and her teammates is unparalleled."

There was a long moment of silence.

Then Juugo spoke. "She seems very nice." There was almost a hint of a wistful sigh at the end, as he gazed down at his cup of tea, deep in thought.

Kakashi merely snorted.

"Weak." Sasuke drawled as he stood. "If she allows her emotions to control her like always."

Kakashi laughed softly, a bitter sound as Sasuke turned his back and began walking away from them.

"She's saved your life before. But I guess any mention of your own weaknesses is hard on your ego, right?"

Sasuke stiffened, before beginning to walk again.

"Sasuke-kun!" Karin stood as well. "Where are you going?"

"To wash my hands." And he headed towards the back of the restaurant. Karin pouted before sitting down again, glaring angrily at Kakashi.

"Don't talk to him like that! You don't have any right."

And she was suddenly pierced with a chilling glare from the copy-cat ninja. She paled, swallowing to wet her suddenly dry throat.

"Never tell me what to do. And never talk to me unless I ask you a question."

Karin looked as if she wanted to scream at him for his words but also crawl into a corner and hide from his vicious glare. She decided to merely fidget in her seat, glaring down at her hands and mumbling to herself.

"Che. Man, I wish I could do that." Suigetsu whistled. "If I knew that you could shut her up like that I would have tried to do it a long time ago."

"Bastard." Karin snapped at him, before looking down at her tea once more.

"You shouldn't worry about her, Kakashi-san." Juugo tried to placate him—for some reason Kakashi felt as if the taller man was trying his hardest to comfort him. "When we find her we will travel together. She will not be harmed."

"Sakura won't go with you willingly." Kakashi snapped out. "She won't betray her village so easily. "Sasuke may have no problem with severing ties for revenge, but Sakura is not like him."

"Che." Suigetsu grunted. "You Konoha shinobi are too uptight about loyalty and all that crap. If you want to get something, then go for it. Sasuke wants revenge and so he left to get it. There's nothing wrong with that, except that you Konoha shinobi seem to think it means he's betrayed you completely."

"Sasuke is spoiled. He thinks that the world revolves around him and that everyone else should follow what he does. None of you seem to understand the consequences of your actions. Sometimes you _can't_ just go after what you want. Life doesn't work that way."

"Thanks for your words of wisdom, _father_." Suigetsu sneered, taking a bite of his food that had arrived a few minutes earlier during Karin and Kakashi's little argument. Juugo seemed confused and worried with the fact that everyone at the table was so hostile to one another.

Finally, he blinked as he realized that something was wrong. It had been ten minutes. No one took that long to wash their hands.

"…where is Sasuke?"

* * *

Sakura was surprised with the calm air that surrounded them as they finished their walk. She had expected them to break out into another fight, or for the silence to be uncomfortable. But while they didn't talk anymore, neither did they argue.

Sakura contented herself with looking at the scenery, holding the incense box tighter in her hands. Memories of her first mission here resurfaced. The trees became familiar, and she could clearly see Naruto and Sasuke running in front of her, Naruto grinning that ridiculous grin of his, wearing that horrid orange jumpsuit he seemed to be so attatched to. And Sasuke galred at him and called him 'dobe' and they got in a fight, while Sakura sighed and asked Kakashi-sensei why boys were so immature.

Yes…she could almost imagine they were there with her, except she knew they weren't. And Kakashi wasn't walking beside her, Deidara was. And he was muttering to himself about how boring this was, and Sakura's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"You are making it really hard to think!"

"Your face scrunches up when you think too much and your forehead seems to get bigger. I don't like staring at you when you're ugly, yeah."

"Don't stare at me at all you bastard!" Sakura yelled back, realizing that their comfortable silence would always be shattered by Deidara's insensitive comments. But it seemed as if he were only teasing, not trying to insult her. It may have been the playful grin that he shot her that told her this.

But she didn't think too much on it because the tree line thinned and Sakura found herself standing in front of two graves.

And stared. Because surely what she was seeing couldn't be right.

She paled, the box falling from lax fingers. Deidara blinked, confused as he watched the top of the box break off, sending the incense sticks into the dirt. A few of them snapped at the impact, and their soft smell drifted up towards him.

"Sakura…what is it, yeah?"

She was just staring at the graves, eyes wide, mouth moving even as no sound escaped her lips.

A jolt of fear shot through him. Was it a genjutsu? Were they being attacked? He looked around, hand going to the one kunai he had. _I can't sense anything…damn! What is it?_

And that was when Sakura rushed forward, falling to her knees in front of the graves. "Nooooo…nononononono…" She groaned out. "Where is it?"

"What?" Deidara couldn't understand what was wrong.

"The zanbato! Someone's taken it…but…it can't be!" She placed her hands on the raised earth of one of the graves, giving a small groan of despair. "Dammit! Damn, damn…god what am I going to do now?"

"What do you mean, yeah?" Deidara asked, still confused.

"His teammate…his teammate Suigetsu wants to collect the swords of the Seven Swordsman, or at least that's what his file means. I thought…well they'd come here for the sword. Sasuke would tell him where it was and they'd come here. But…it's _gone_."

"WHAT?" Deidara roared. "You mean we can't find the bastard now, yeah?"

"I…" Sakura tugged at the ends of her hair, letting out a small sniffle. No this couldn't be happening! This was all wrong…god why did all of her plans have to backfire on her?

"I…"

Deidara couldn't help the anger that filled him at that moment—it wasn't really directed at Sakura, but it may as well have been, since he lashed out at her anyway. "Dammit! Are you good for anything, yeah? Do you have any idea how much time we've wasted here? I could have found and killed the bastard by now!"

"I'm sorry…" Sakura whispered faintly. _He's going to kill me now. I'm not longer useful and he's going to kill me._

_I can't believe I was so stupid! Why? WHY!?_

Deidara blinked at the defeated sound of her voice and stopped yelling, shoulders slumping slightly. He recognized the tone and felt slightly guilty. He remembered using the same tone so many times, feeling like a failure, when he thought he was too weak. He had berated himself and beat himself up and told himself he would never amount to anything in those days.

And his eyes widened as he realized what he had said to her. _"Are you good for anything, yeah?"_

"Sakura-_tenshi_…I…" But what was there to say?

She merely stayed sitting on the ground, crying softly. "The sword isn't here…I can't even use the tracking jutsu I made…I can't…"

_Useless._

She stopped talking, and she saw Deidara stiffen beside her.

"Hello Sakura."

Sakura froze, slowly turning to look at the man standing behind her. He looked just as he had when she, Naruto, Sai, and Yamato had gone to Orochimaru's old base. The same condescending smirk, the same cold eyes. But something was off, something was different.

Deidara was the one who pointed it out.

"Hey, he isn't wearing the stupid ass-bow, yeah."

* * *

**(A\N: Yes, yes, I know it's an evil cliffhanger…leave me alone. XD I really SHOULD be doing some of my summer homework right now. I have an essay to write, two books to read (one for English, one for French), and a humongous painting to well…paint. Ugh…and I've already wasted a month of summer doing nothing. XD Anyway, I don't know when you should expect the next chapter. I guess it depends on when my muse decides to tie me up and force me to write. :D**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka**

**P.S. I love Kakashi, expect more of him. :D)**


	14. Chapter 13: Ultimatum

**(A\N: I'm sorry this is so late! I hope you guys enjoy it. :) I've been really busy with school, etc., so this took a while, especially since I've been trying to update my other stories as well. But anyway...read away! :D)**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**Ulitmatum**

* * *

Tell me where its hurting  
Are you burning?  
Running just to catch your breath  
And going nowhere  
It's getting old when you feel like you got nothing left  
Well it ain't over 'til it's over  
I told you since the day we met  
So let me be the voice through all the noise  
Whatever I gotta be  
I'll be for you

Whatever you need from me  
To see you through  
Everyone of us has stumbled  
Everybody's humbled  
We hit the ground and our lives crumble

Whatever I gotta be  
I'll be for you  
I'm for you  
If you never knew  
If you never knew  
I'm for you  
You know it's true

I know the feeling  
I know it's real when the drama's all in your face  
You see a mountain  
I hear a promise – it's never more than we can take  
Well it ain't over, 'til it's over  
We can learn from our mistakes  
So let me be the voice through all the noise

Everyone of us will fall  
Have our backs against the wall  
And everyone shares a need to be loved

You've always been for me  
So I will be for you  
That's just what it means to love

Whatever I gotta be  
I'll be for you  


I'm for you  
If you never knew  
If you never knew  
I'm for you  
You know it's true

Whatever I gotta be  
I'll be for you  
I'm for you  
If you never knew  
If you never knew  
I'm for you  
You know it's true

Everytime you fall, I'll be for you,  
If you back's against the wall, I'll be for you,  
Cause you've always been for me, I'll be for you,  
I'll be for you, I'm for you.  
If you never knew,  
If you never knew,  
I'm for you.

* * *

_"Hello Sakura."_

_Sakura froze, slowly turning to see look at the man standing behind her. He looked just as he had when she, Naruto, Sai, and Yamato had gone to Orochimaru's old base. The same condescending smirk, the same cold eyes. But something was off, something was different._

_Deidara was the one who pointed it out._

_"Hey, he isn't wearing the stupid ass-bow, yeah."_

* * *

She laughed.

She fucking _laughed_ at him and that hideous comment about his old outfit. Sasuke's eyes narrowed a bit, but he said nothing. But it was a weak laugh, because she was still staring at Sasuke in shock.

But…it was a different look than he had expected. He had thought she'd run at him, or whisper his name. But she had yet to do anything except stiffen, eyes wide…and laugh.

"So you've finally come, yeah." Deidara grinned, taking a step forward. "Looks like we didn't need to track you down after all."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted. "You should have stayed dead."

"Ah, but you have your lovely teammate to thank for that, yeah." Deidara grinned. "Sakura-_tenshi_ wanted to make sure _someone_ got to smash your face in."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at Deidara's nickname for Sakura, before looking over at the girl who was trying to quickly compose herself. "Is this true?"

He expected her to deny it heartily, or say something like, "I was doing it for you!"

Instead, she slowly got into a battle crouch, fists clenched. "Naruto wants you back in Konoha. If you don't come now, I will fight you and drag you back there myself."

Deidara's eyes flickered in her direction, narrowing. "He isn't going back with you, yeah. I'm going to kill him, remember?"

"Let's talk about that after we've kicked his ass, ok?" Sakura sighed, before smiling to herself at the flustered look on Sasuke's face. He hated being ignored, or taken so lightly. She'd known that since they were young. But she didn't care. Strangely…when looking into his dark, ruthless eyes, all she wanted to do was make him hurt for all the pain and suffering he'd made her go through. The pain he'd made NARUTO go through.

He was, like Deidara said, a monster. He didn't deserve her love anymore. Only her pity, which she gave heartily. He was a broken boy who had shattered completely. No one could pick up the pieces and it was useless for her to try and put him back together, to waste her life in a thankless attempt at his salvation.

He didn't want her love, and so she would not give it.

A hollow feeling settled in her stomach, and her eyes glazed over a bit as she blinked the last few tears away. She felt sick, as if the realization had just shattered her soul. It had, in a sense. And it hurt. She swallowed, before taking a deep breath, and then letting it out.

"You shouldn't let yourself become distracted, Sakura." Came a soft voice from behind her. Sakura froze, eyes wide, as Sasuke's breath tickled her cheeks.

Deidara whirled around, eyes narrowing visibly as he turned, a kunai in hand.

"You will back away, Akatsuki." Sasuke drawled, and Sakura felt the cold tip of a kunai brushing against her neck. A kunai. He was holding her as his hostage. He would kill her if his demands were not met.

A monster.

"Now then, Sakura…" Sasuke murmured, the metal running up and down the length of her neck. "I have a proposition for you."

"And what would that be?" Sakura managed to speak, and surprised herself with the fact that her voice was level and didn't waver.

"Join my team."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"I need a medic…to heal me after I kill Itachi."

Deidara snorted. "Itachi could kill you blindfolded with a hand tied behind his back."

Sakura felt Sasuke stiffen behind her, and the kunai pressed harder against her flushed skin. She could literally feel his fury in the air around them.

"You wish me…to heal you." Sakura deadpanned. "I've finally become useful then?"

"Of course." Sasuke said simply. "And when I have killed my brother, you will help me restore my Clan."

Deidara's fingers curled tighter around his own weapon as silence fell upon them. Sakura's eyes had seemed to widen even more at his last statement. Deidara didn't know why…but he felt a strange fury knowing that Sasuke would have the gall to order his angel to repopulate his clan with him.

Wait…HIS angel?

"I'm sorry Sasuke-kun." Sakura's voice was level and cool, indifferent if he had to sum it up with one word. "But I am not your tool and I never will be. It's unfortunate that we have to end our friendship in this manner."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke's voice held a warning tone.

"You're an egotistical bastard and I don't plan on ever letting you use me, or anyone else, to further your own gains. Now let go of me before I forget about my earlier promise to bring you back for Naruto and let Deidara kill you."

"You are making a mistake, Sakura." Sasuke's voice was frigid, and she could hear the unbridled fury hidden beneath his monotone.

"No, but you just did, yeah." Deidara muttered, slamming his kunai forward, heading for Sasuke's back. But Sasuke flipped up at the last moment, jumping out of range, and Deidara's kunai dug into the back of Sakura's shirt.

She let out a gasp—and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke, who had smirked at the shocked look on Deidara's face, immediately tensed, eyes narrowed in disbelief. When had Sakura used a substitution? And that was when Sakura appeared in front of him, her fist filled with blazing chakra.

"BASTARD!"

Bam.

He went through ten trees and one rather large boulder before stopping. The dust filled the small clearing, and Deidara could only stare in awe. Sakura landed on the ground beside him, her gaze determined.

That was when four people burst from the tree line. A redheaded woman, and two men that Sakura didn't know, though she recognized them from their info files. They were Sasuke's team. The last person Sakura knew very well, and she could only stare at him in shock.

"…Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sakura!" Kakashi couldn't help the relieved sigh that issued from his lips. Sakura was safe, and healthy looking. The blonde Akatsuki member stood beside her, and she seemed comfortable with him. The clearing looked like it had just seen a battle. There was a large crater to one side that led deep into the forest, a sign Sakura had been fighting. But she looked unharmed, at least physically. She was trembling slightly, and was a bit paler than usual. What was going on?

Kakashi took a step forward, but was stopped as Sasuke walked back into the clearing—or rather, stormed. His clothing was covered in dust, and torn. There was a twig stuck in his usually meticulous hair.

His eyes were narrowed and burning crimson, his gaze fixed on Sakura.

"_You_."

Sakura didn't flinch, merely clenched her fists. "I knew I should have used more chakra. Maybe then I could have knocked you on your ass longer."

Kakashi and Team Hebi blinked. Had she…just said what they thought she said?

"You…you did this to Sasuke-kun!?" Karin yelled out in horror, eyes wide as they took in Sasuke's state. "You little bitch!"

Sakura gave a her a scathing glare and a small sneer before looking back to Sasuke. "This is our fight, so let's do this, Sasuke."

"HEY! YOU! Stay away from my Sasuke-kun! I'll fight you!" Karin yelled out, jumping in front of Sakura.

Sakura only stared coldly. "Get out of my way. I'm not here to deal with you. I'm here for the Uchiha."

"No! Sasuke-kun is MINE."

Sakura snorted. "I don't WANT him. I WANT to kick his ASS!"

Deidara's grin couldn't stretch any wider. For some reason, her last sentence made her seem 10 times hotter. And he drank in the surprised and disgruntled look on Sasuke's face as he turned to look at Sakura. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time.

She was standing defiantly in front of him, her hair dancing in her face in the breeze. Her cold emerald eyes were glaring straight ahead of her—not looking directly at his eyes, she knew about his Sharingan after all—and her fists were clenched, glowing soft blue.

She looked like a shinobi.

Kakashi couldn't help the pride blooming in his chest at Sakura's words. So...she had finally come to terms with everything that had happened. She knew now that Team 7 would never be whole, and yet she hadn't let the revelation destroy her. She truly was a fighter. But what was this going to do to his plans for bringing Sasuke back to Konoha and killing the Akatsuki member?

Karin was standing a few feet away, trying her hardest to block Sakura's view of Sasuke. And then there was the blonde…that damned blonde Akatsuki that should have been _dead_. He was standing beside Sakura and she didn't seem to mind at all.

Karin lunged forward with her kunai, Sakura lifted up a hand—and flicked her forehead. There was a moment of silence, before Karin went flying backwards, blood flowing from her head as she slammed into a tree, crashing through it and several others before losing momentum and falling to the ground.

Damn, hadn't Karin listened to a word Kakashi had said at the restaurant? How was Sasuke going to get someone to heal him now? Suigetsu and Juugo could only stare in shock at the pink-haired girl who continued to look in Sasuke's direction, her concentration never wavering.

Who...WAS she?

This…was going to be harder than Sasuke had thought. Why the hell had Karin and the others come in the first place? This was his fight. He would kill Deidara and injure Sakura enough that she fell unconscious. He would kill Kakashi so he would be unable to follow them…and then he would find a way to convince Sakura to remain with his team. If he had to use force, he would.

She would need to be shown that she could not disobey him. But before that could happen…he needed to kill off the two hindrances that were in the way of him and his goal. It would be simple enough. Sakura would always be weak, he knew that. So he only needed to use her weakness to his advantage.

Simple.

"Sakura…if you do not come with me right now, I will kill Kakashi and the Akatsuki member."

"Hell no."

Or perhaps not.

* * *

**(A\N: Hey guys, I'm sorry this is short but I wanted to give you SOMETHING. It's been forever since I've updated…I want the fight to be PERFECT, so it's going to take a little bit to write…but I hope you guys liked this part anyway. :D So...next chapter...Sakura and Deidara vs. Sasuke, Kakashi vs. Juugo and Suigetsu. :D The battle rages on...but who will come out the victor?**

**Until next time…see ya!**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)**


	15. Chapter 14: Unforgiveable

**(A\N: OMG! I finally did it! I am so proud of myself! :D I tried to make this fight scene kick as much ass as possible, so I hope it works for you guys! :) Anyway, I know you guys didn't come here to listen to me rant so…read away!)**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**Unforgiveable**

* * *

_She would need to be shown that she could not disobey him. But before that could happen…he needed to kill off the two hindrances that were in the way of him and his goal. It would be simple enough. Sakura would always be weak, he knew that. So he only needed to use her weakness to his advantage._

_Simple._

"_Sakura…if you do not come with me right now, I will kill Kakashi and the Akatsuki member."_

_"Hell no."_

_Or perhaps not._

* * *

The entire clearing became hushed, and a wind blew, rustling their clothing. Kakashi looked from Sakura to Sasuke. Their fight seemed to be inevitable now. It looked as if the blonde Akatsuki was on Sakura's side—he would think on that bit of information later—and so that left Juugo and Suigetsu. Sakura and the Akatsuki member could fight off Sasuke together, if they were pushed to do so. In fact, the Akatsuki member could probably do it on his own, but Kakashi could tell the man's chakra passageways were disrupted, and the absence of his usual clay pouches told Kakashi that perhaps he would need Sakura's aid after all. Besides…Sasuke had become even more skilled in the last few years. He was a force to be reckoned with, and one not to take lightly.

And he couldn't let Juugo and Suigetsu interfere with their battle. If Sasuke was defeated, then Sakura and Kakashi could defeat Deidara afterwards and bring them bother back to Konoha. Yes, the plan was sound…so Kakashi's fight would be with the other members of team Hebi then…

He took a deep breath—just as Sakura made her move.

"Let's do this." Sakura hissed, before she slammed her fist into the ground. The clearing erupted, boulders flying through the air, a fissure shooting its way towards Sasuke. He jumped, smirking. Her moves…were always so predictable.

"Earth style: rising stone spears!"

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock at Deidara's shout—until large stone spikes shot out of the rocks that Sakura had conveniently exploded into the air. They shot down at him, and as his foot hit the ground he immediately dodged to the left, barely missing the first spire. He began running at Deidara, dodging the rocks with difficulty, but his Sharingan kept him from being impaled.

Ten feet from Deidara. He pulled out his sword, giving an Uchiha-esque smirk. And then his eyes widened as a chakra fluctuated to his right, and he barely managed to dodge the roundhouse kick aimed at his stomach. He leapt backwards, still dodging the rock spikes as they continued to shoot down around them.

Sakura followed his retreat, her body moving sinuously, dodging the spires as if she knew where each was going to fall before they hit the ground. Her eyes never left him, never looking to the left or right or above to see if she was about to be impaled by her ally's jutsu.

She trusted him enough not to get her killed.

She _trusted_ him.

She trusted…an s-classed criminal. Sasuke twisted to the right to avoid a spire. Sakura twirled to follow his movement, grinding her heel into the ground to propel herself towards him. He saw a flash of steel and pulled his sword out of its sheath to dodge her kunai. She pushed, forcing chakra into her arms as she did so.

He was thrown slightly off balance, and had to take a step backwards to regain his footing—and that was when a spire shot out of the ground and through his foot. He let out a curse, yanking his foot up and ignoring the throbbing pain and the blood that was now splattering the ground.

Sakura ducked beneath another sword swipe, and he then slammed his wounded foot into her stomach. She let out a grunt as she flew backwards, shattering at least two stone spikes as she went. The third spike stopped her, but he saw it crack. She slumped to the ground, dazed for a second before she disappeared.

His own eyes narrowed, glowing crimson with the Sharingan. The spires had stopped falling, and as he looked around, he saw that the blonde Akatsuki member had disappeared as well. He merely glared around the clearing.

And then Sakura was beside him, crouched low on the ground as she swept at his feet with her leg. He leapt up easily enough to dodge her—and had to twist in midair to dodge the roundhouse kick from her partner, who had appeared a second later.

There was a moment where time seemed to freeze as Sasuke hung in the air between the two—before Sakura reached up and grabbed a hold of his belt, launching him across the crater-laden field. He twisted in mid-air, forming hand seals so quickly Sakura's eyes couldn't follow, before he put his hand to his lips.

_"Fire_ Release: Great Fireball Technique."

Sakura cursed, because she was unbalanced thanks to the force of the throw and so she wouldn't be able to dodge it completely at this point. There was no way she was escaping without some serious burns.

"Earth release: earth flow rampart!"

The ground beneath her groaned and she stumbled as it shook—before shooting into the air. She used her chakra to steady herself, before Deidara appeared beside her on the large earthen hill. She stayed in her battle crouch, looking to where Sasuke stood on the other end of the clearing, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I have a plan." She murmured.

"Oh?"

"Just follow my lead." And she leapt off of the rock, Deidara right behind her.

* * *

"Let's go, Juugo!" Suigetsu heaved his sword off of his shoulder, running towards the fray, fangs gleaming.

"Hai." Juugo nodded, heading in after him. Inside, however, fear gnawed at him. What if he lost control again? What if, because Sasuke-sama was mad at her, he went berserk and tried to attack the pink-haired girl and Sasuke-sama didn't stop him?

And that was when the ground erupted in front of them, and he heard Suigetsu curse. Juugo jumped backwards, as the smell of blood filled his nostrils. He blinked, before he tensed as a chakra signature spiked behind him and he whirled around. He wasn't fast enough, however, and let out a small grunt as a kunai embedded itself in his arm.

It hit the bone with a jarring pain that made him see red. His breathing became forced and ragged, and he inhaled deeply, before exhaling through clenched teeth. He…needed…_blood_. He wanted to kill, and that was the only thought running through his mind as he whirled around with an animalistic roar and charged the man who had stabbed him—one Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi let out a string of curses as he leapt into the air to avoid Juugo's lunge. He flipped, landing on a tree at the edge of the clearing, crouching down. He reached for another kunai in his back, surveying the situation. Suigetsu was struggling with his hounds, which were holding him in place for the time being.

Juugo was now going berserk, and was looking around frantically for the silver-haired jonin. Alright, he needed to take out Suigetsu first—that would be easy now that he was being held immobile by Kakashi's hounds. After that he could fight one on one with Juugo and—

And that was when Kakashi's plan went to hell, as Suigetsu turned into water, before reappearing behind the dogs and destroying all of them with one sweep of his sword.

_Fuck._

* * *

Sakura gave a small curse as she flipped backwards, her fingers dusting the ground, twisting on her hands and shooting her legs back, her feet connecting with the figure that had leapt up behind her, sword in hand.

Sasuke's shadow clone disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Sakura landed nimbly on her feet, emerald eyes narrowed in frustration. She stayed that way for a moment, panting heavily.

From his position in the shadows, Sasuke watched and waited, crimson eyes burning the image of her crouched, defiant, and ready for battle into his mind.

This was not his Sakura.

She was not meant to be like this. She was meant to be submissive, emotional, loving, caring…_weak_. When had she grown a backbone? He could feel his left arm twinge in pain, and he reached out and pushed the broken bone back into place, ignoring the ripping pain that shot through his body as the shattered end caught on flesh, shredding it as it was set back in place. He gripped his sword hilt tightly and lunged forward into the sunlight.

He did not let the sudden transition between light and dark faze him. He did not blink, for when his eyes were closed he was at a moment of weakness and he would never allow that. His feet never faltered, and his blade whistled in the air as he neared the pink-haired girl.

She whirled around, sensing his presence. But it was too late, as he slammed his sword down, impaling her and pinning her to the ground through her chest. The kunai in her hand slipped through suddenly lax fingers, landing on the dirt next to her motionless body.

She heaved once, twice, blood bubbling up to her lips, before she gave a small spasm and then stilled.

_I took your bait, _Sasuke thought coldly, _now come out of your hiding place._

A hand shot from the ground, and he leapt up at the same exact moment. He saw a flash of golden hair and heard a small curse, before he twirled around to block Sakura's attack as she came barreling out of the cover of the trees to his right.

Her side kick caught him slightly off-guard, but he blocked it easily enough. The most surprising thing, truly, was the blinding pain at the base of his neck as he found himself slammed into the ground. He let out a small grunt, pushing himself up to his knees, and then launching himself to the right just as Sakura's foot connected with the dirt he'd been lying flat on, creating a large fissure.

As the dust cleared, Sasuke saw Deidara land on the ground beside Sakura, his gaze never leaving Sasuke's form—but never looking into his eyes either. The man had hit him from behind—the 'Deidara' in the ground had been a distraction. He had to admit…the two of them worked flawlessly as a team.

It irked him.

No, it _pissed him off_.

Sasuke was a selfish person by nature. His enemy and the woman who was meant to heal him and rebuild his clan were not meant to be working so well with one another. She was his. And Deidara was his to kill.

This…was unacceptable.

They weren't playing by the rules at all. This wasn't how it was meant to be! Couldn't Sakura see that?

And then he let out a small growl in the back of his throat as his eyes burned crimson, and he noticed the small fluctuation of chakra in the air around him. Sakura appeared beneath his guard in an instant, something that shocked him.

She was not supposed to be this fast.

Genjustu, he surmised, to hide her movements until the last moment. It was a…unique way to use genjutsu. Anyone normally looking for genjutsu wouldn't waste their time on something so small and insignificant. They would be looking for pure illusions, not something like this.

It was making his reaction time slower, and that was something he would not allow.

He merely charged energy through his blade, as he saw Sakura grab a kunai to deflect it. He let a small, arrogant smirk grace his face. She truly was foolish…to not remember that his blade could not be blocked in such a way.

He whipped his arm around, and metal met metal for an instant, before his blade sliced through the kunai. Sakura had only a moment to let out a startled cry, twisting her body to dodge his sword. It sliced her arm, but didn't sever it as he'd intended.

She whirled around, and he let out a mental curse as pain bloomed on the left side of his face and he went stumbling to the ground.

She had…_backhanded him_!?

Sakura landed on her knees, trying to ignore the pain in her arm. She was almost completely paralyzed because of Sasuke's chidori current, and the throbbing in her arm would not cease. He'd cut straight to the bone.

But she didn't have time to worry about that. She would deal with the pain later. She couldn't show any weakness here, not when it was her chance to show him her strength! So she let out a battle cry and lunged forward, kunai in hand.

Sasuke, who was lying on his back, still trying to comprehend the fact that she dared to hit him in such a…vulgar and dismissive way, barely reacted in time. He whirled to the side as her kunai slammed into the ground where his head had once lain.

She was stumbling, numb from his chidori, but managed to get to her feet and leap backwards.

"You will be unable to battler effectively for several more minutes, Sakura. Give up now."

"Go to hell." But her voice was choked, and he could tell she was angry with herself just as much as him.

She was still weak, it seemed.

Then the earth beneath him began to shift, just as a loud voice called out from behind him.

"Earth Release: Split Earth Turn Around Palm!"

The ground beneath him groaned and buckled before it spiraled inwards and downwards. He leapt backwards, but at that exact moment the earth snagged his sandal and he let out a cursed as he was dragged along with it.

Deidara landed on the tree branch beside Sakura, his one visible blue eye narrowed, gaze serious.

"Just sit here and rest for a minute or two, yeah. I'll handle him." And then he disappeared.

* * *

Sakura ignored the jarring pain in her ankle—she must have broken it—and merely crouched down next to Deidara.

She'd rejoined the battler after using chakra to loosen up her muscles once again, allowing movement. Deidara had been doing quite fine without her, however. His arsenal of earth-style jutsu was immense, and she really should have expected that, if she thought about it. He was a former Iwa-nin after all. Besides, she shouldn't doubt his ability to fight. This was the man who, from first-hand accounts, had fought off all the members of Team Gai with no arms and a kunai held between his teeth for heaven's sake!

But with both Sakura injured and tired, and Deidara's own chakra still under Sakura's medical blocks, they were in trouble. If they didn't pull out some kind of trump card Sasuke was going to kill them. Deidara wasn't at his fullest, and she was running out of chakra. This…was not good.

Why was Sasuke so strong?

Why…was he so _cruel_?

And she knew the answer to both question, for they were one in the same: his desire for revenge. It pushed him to his limits, and it made him indifferent to anything and everything that did not pertain to Uchiha Itachi…and made him enraged at all that interfered with his mission.

Sakura merely reached down into her pack, running her index finger softly over the smooth edge of the desired object. She breathed in deeply. This…was the last test…the test to see if she could trust Deidara or not.

She knew she shouldn't even be questioning her hatred of the blonde-haired man, but she couldn't help the nagging in her mind that told her that maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought he was.

Ha, screw that, he was ten times worse than she could imagine. But he was also far kinder than she had assumed as well…

And that was why she pulled the object from her pack and held it out to Deidara, not meeting his gaze. "Here."

"What…how did you…get this, yeah?" She heard him sputter.

"We have to hurry, dammit! He isn't going to wait for us to come up with a strategy before he attacks!"

"But—"

"Just take it!" And she threw it at him in frustration.

"Why didn't you tell me, yeah?" He muttered dazedly, staring at the small clay bird in his hands.

"Because it's been in my pocket this entire time! You would have blown me to smithereens if you'd known, smart ass!"

True.

He gave a mocking, lopsided grin. "Heh. You're right, little angel. Let's do this then, yeah, and then I can show you that hiding things from me is a bad idea."

Sakura ignored the shiver that ran down her spine, even as the air around them became heated, and flames erupted before her eyes.

"Now seems like the time to do it. You ready, yeah?"

"Right." Sakura nodded, even as the flames edged closer, and the two now stood back-to-back to stay away from the onslaught.

One.

Two.

Three.

"NOW!" She shouted, and Deidara leapt upwards, Sakura a second behind him. It was a simple escape plan, and the only one that would be effective in this situation. Because of that, it had one flaw, one that Sasuke had been waiting for. There was only one exit, and Sasuke had been waiting for them to take it.

He appeared above them, giving his own cold smirk as he grabbed Deidara by his ponytail, hearing the older man grunt as he was flung out of the way, slamming into one of the few remaining trees in the clearing.

And then he pulled out his sword in one swift movement and slammed it into Sakura's stomach. He ignored the small twinge of guilt that filled him at the sight of her bright emerald eyes widening in shock and pain, blood erupted from the wound and her mouth as she let out a choked cry.

And disappeared in a puff of smoke.

That was when Sakura appeared above him, slamming her fist into his back. He felt two ribs break, and wondered why his spine hadn't shattered as he flew down to the ground. His own spinning pillar of flames threatened to engulf him as he fell, and he undid the justu immediately, giving a small smirk.

Their plan had still failed. Sakura should have used chakra in that hit if she'd wanted to finish him off. She really was…too caring and emotional to be a shinobi. Did she think she was going to save him?

He hit the ground with a choked gasp of pain, but ignored it, even as his breath was momentarily knocked out of him. They'd been planning on having him fall back into his own flames. Well…that hadn't happened. What would they do now?

He merely gave a dark laugh—he would kill them both, after he learned all of Sakura's healing techniques and copied them with his Sharingan—and then his eyes widened as a large bird swooped down and grabbed Sakura as she began her fall through the air after punching Sasuke.

His eyes glowed crimson, narrowed in rage as he saw the person on the bird's back, grinning at him. And then the blonde lifted a hand, "katsu."

Sasuke slowly turned to his right—and saw the small bird sitting on the ground next to him.

How…had he been so STUPID?

And then the entire area exploded.

* * *

Kakashi let out a ragged exhale, stumbling back a bit. A few feet away, Juugo pulled himself to his feet, his entire body trembling.

Suigetsu was leaning against his sword—Zabuza's sword—like a crutch, but continued to glare menacingly at him.

This was no good. Kakashi wasn't as young as he used to be, and both of these two shinobi were at their prime. Besides that, one had the ability to turn into water and one seemed able to morph his own body into weapons of his choosing.

Plus, they were both insane, though Juugo was more mentally unstable than his counterpart.

They were dangerous.

They had more chakra than he did.

And his mind kept wandering to Sakura's battle against Sasuke. It was relieving to hear the occasional crash, or feel the tremors that wracked the ground every once and a while. They meant that she was still alive and still fighting.

That was all that mattered.

But right now he needed to focus on his own fight. Even as he stood there, however, crouching down and collecting chakra in his hand for his raikiri, he could tell that Juugo and Suigetsu were in the same predicament as he.

"No way we're letting you go and help that girl, Copy ninja." Suigetsu muttered. But Juugo was twitching, muttering to himself in a way that made Kakashi tense. No doubt he was about to go berserk again.

"Dammit Juugo, we don't have time for you to—"

Suigetsu's warning was cut off as an immense crashing sound filled their ears. Light blinded them, and Kakashi saw Juugo throw up his arms against the flash. Heat rolled towards them in waves, and Kakashi could only stare in horror at the black cloud of smoke rolling up from the clearing they'd once been standing in.

_Sakura!_

_Sasuke-sama!_

_Damn fucking idiot! Karin probably got caught in the blast too!_

The three forgot their battle as they rushed forward into the grey, smoke-fulled forest.

* * *

Sasuke could only stare in pure hatred at the two people standing in front of him. His entire body trembled with fury, and he swallowed thickly. He crouched down, grabbing the small object that lay at his feet.

Sakura's eyes widened as her hand went to her hair, searching for the comfortable metal of her headband to find that it was not there. It must have fallen off during their battle.

Her forehead protector…now lay in Sasuke's hands. And the young Uchiha could only stared down at it.

How…how had she and Deidara predicted his own movements? They'd used his flame pillar's weakness to their advantage. The Sakura that had followed Deidara out of the flames had been a clone. The real Sakura had hidden in the ground and planted the bird.

Sasuke glare at her then, blood dripping from his forehead, the same color as his eyes. She could see the anger and fury burning in those crimson orbs, and it made her inwardly shiver. These were the eyes of a killer.

He gripped her forehead protector tightly, so tightly that Sakura wouldn't be surprised if the metal were to bend under the pressure. His knuckles were white, and his hand was shaking slightly.

Finally, he pulled out a kunai from his pack, slowly, his gaze never leaving Sakura. "You…have betrayed me, Sakura."

She said nothing.

Suigetsu and Juugo had managed to make their way to Sasuke's side, and Juugo was carrying Karin's limp, bloodied form.

"It will be the last mistake you ever make." And then he brought up her forehead protector and made a deep slash through it.

Sakura flinched at the sound of metal slicing metal, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Heh. I wonder what Konoha will think…when they find your forehead protector and figure out that you've been willingly traveling with a missing-nin."

Kakashi lunged forward, "NO!" But they disappeared.

Sakura stared, in completely shock. How…how could he have done this? She had thought there was a little humanity left in him…but it seemed that was not true. Sasuke really was a monster. Sakura slumped to her knees.

Kakashi whirled to glare at Deidara, his Sharingan blazing. "You! Do you have any idea what will happen to her now?"

"Don't, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura whispered, and both men turned to look at her. She was clenching her fists tightly, and she was shaking a bit. But she merely looked up, tears swimming in her eyes but never falling. "It doesn't matter."

"What do you mean? Of course it matters Sakura—"

"By the time Sasuke and the others find a way to deliver my headband and their information to Konoha…Tsunade-shishou will already think I am dead."

Silence echoed in the clearing.

* * *

**(A\N: I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'm sorry it was so late. So...the next chapter: word reaches Konoha of Sakura's 'death', Naruto and the others continue towards Rain, and Sakura is going to see what Deidara meant when he said "i'll have to teach you that hiding things from me is a bad idea" all while dodging an infuriated Hatake Kakashi. :D Sounds like fun, huh? So maybe a bit of actual DeiSaku-ness in the next chapter.**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)**


	16. Chapter 15: Picking up the Pieces

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* * *

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**(A\N: I'm sorry this was so late...but I hope you enjoy it! You guys don't want to hear my rant anyay. :D)**

* * *

_Kakashi whirled to glare at Deidara, his Sharingan blazing. "You! Do you have any idea what will happen to her now?"_

"_Don't, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura whispered, and both men turned to look at her. She was clenching her fists tightly, and she was shaking a bit. But she merely looked up, tears swimming in her eyes but never falling. "It doesn't matter."_

"_What do you mean? Of course it matters Sakura—"_

"_By the time Sasuke and the others find a way to deliver my headband and their information to Konoha…Tsunade-shishou will already think I am dead."_

_Silence echoed in the clearing._

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Picking up the Pieces**

* * *

"_The man who throws a bomb is an artist, because he prefers a great moment to everything. He sees how much more valuable is one burst of blazing light, one peal of perfect thunder, than the mere common bodies of a few shapeless policemen. An artist disregards all governments, abolishes all conventions."_

--Mr. Lucian Gregory from _The Man Who was Thursday_

* * *

The steady sound of her shaky inhalations was like a soothing metronome in the darkness. It was such a quiet sound—he had to strain his ears to hear it, even if she was only a few feet away. But he heard it. He wondered if he heard it only because he was trying to so desperately, or if because he knew that somehow, in some way, he had caused those tears.

He supposed that was true.

But at the same time…he knew it wasn't.

He frowned, giving a small huff as he turned over onto his side, his back facing her soft sobs. He scowled into the darkness. She had made her own decision. She had been the one to heal him and accompany him on his trip. She should have left him to die if she didn't want trouble. Yes…she'd brought this upon herself. He wasn't going to allow himself to feel guilty for something he didn't do!

Another shaky inhalation.

He gritted his teeth before turning onto his back and then craning his neck, twisting to the side to look at her small figure—only to meet one cold gray eye and one dangerous crimson. He didn't flinch, even though he wanted to. Staring down Hatake Kakashi, the legendary Copycat ninja, was not something one did lightly, and Deidara was no exception.

Kakashi was lying on Sakura's other side, his arms wrapped around her slim figure. She was clutching him like a lifeline, still trembling even though she was unconscious, having cried herself to sleep hours before. Her face was buried in Kakashi's chest, but still he could hear her small whimpers. It was those kinds of moments, when she looked so small against Kakashi's broad figure, that he realized how young she was…like a little child…like the innocent little angel he'd named her as.

Deidara broke eye contact with the seasoned shinobi first and looked up at the ceiling, remaining on his back. He wouldn't give the older man the pleasure of scaring him away, so he wouldn't turn around completely. He wasn't a coward…and he sure as hell wasn't going to leave his back unprotected to a man like Kakashi. He'd butcher him with a kunai before he could so much as blink.

He'd thought Hatake was already asleep.

The uncomfortable, tense silence grew, but Deidara refused to buckle beneath it. He closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep. Tomorrow…he'd deal with that tomorrow. Today for today. Living like that was easier for him, and there was no point in worrying about what MIGHT happen when it was likely it wouldn't happen at all.

The hotel room was cramped, and it suddenly seemed much smaller. The air seemed thinner, and he opened his mouth to breathe in, feeling as if he were drowning.

They'd found the small town sometime during the night. Kakashi had placed a genjutsu over them, making them look like nothing more than a man and his two children, weary from travel. While they'd still been regarded with suspicion, they'd been given a room. The genjutsu hovered over them still, but Kakashi's cold eyes seemed to burn through them—burn through his bushy gray beard and large eyebrows and bulbous nose. It was like the second skin—that layered genjutsu that he _knew_ Sakura could have done better—was peeling off layer by layer, even though he knew that it had been expertly placed and wouldn't come off until Kakashi released it.

Sakura hadn't been in her right mind to place the genjutsu over them. She'd been in a kind of daze ever since the Uchiha child had left them. Shock, he guessed. Shock over what? She hadn't expected the brat to go back with her and love her, did she? No…what was it then?

Surely she couldn't be so shocked over the loss of her village? That was preposterous. Why would any shinobi love their village so much? It was stupid to be loyal to anyone, especially a bunch of hypocritical bastard clan lords and kages. Deidara's frown deepened, and he glared at a discernable stain on the ceiling.

He wouldn't admit that secretly he was pleased with the turn of events. Sakura was an amusing person, and he didn't mind keeping her around—especially with the fact that she was a medic-nin and he tended to get injured quite frequently in his line of work. And she was cute too, which was always a bonus.

What he really could do _without_ was Mr. Father-figure Hatake. What the hell was that man, her chaperone? He was a loyal Konoha shinobi, and as far as Deidara could tell, he hadn't defected from the village. But that meant that he would need to return soon to check in. But Kakashi had decided to travel with them, to protect Sakura now that she would no longer be able to return to Konohagakure.

_Damn bastard, yeah!_

And so now here they were…in a one person hotel room, with no plans for the next day and no idea what would happen to them. No doubt the Akatsuki thought Deidara was dead and would have replaced him by this time—_che, I'm fuckin' irreplaceable, they'll never find someone good enough, yeah!_—and that meant…that he was free too.

He blinked. He hadn't really dwelled on that since waking up from 'death'. All he'd thought about was revenge against the Uchiha brat.

Akatsuki thought he was dead. He…was free. He blinked again. He'd been forced into Akatuski by Uchiha Itachi, in that humiliating battle that had made him hate the Uchiha more than anyone else on the planet. He gritted his teeth in anger, before he forced himself to relax, his jaw aching with the effort.

There was no point in running. He couldn't hide from Akatsuki forever. They would spot him and he'd be punished for not returning sooner. Besides, they'd probably gone back for his ring—damn indestructible thing—and when they couldn't find it, they'd most likely know he was alive, or that someone else had it. In their search for it, they would find him.

"Akatsuki."

Deidara's visible eye narrowed as he turned his face a bit to glare at Kakashi. "My name is Deidara, yeah, get used to it. What do you want?"

"Talk softer." Kakashi snapped in a harsh whisper. "Sakura is sleeping."

"Che, whatever." But Deidara lowered his voice anyway.

After a moment of silence—during which Deidara wondered if he should say something or not—Kakashi spoke again.

"Tomorrow morning, Sakura and I are leaving. We part ways then."

Deidara went cold.

He suddenly sat up, blue eyes bright in the darkness. "What the hell, yeah?" It was a shout, and Sakura's eyes flew open—brilliant absinth that literally _glowed_ in the semi-permeable shadows—and she sat up as well, grabbing the kunai she'd hidden beneath her pillow. She relaxed a second later, noticing that the only shinobi in sensing distance were herself, Deidara, and Kakashi. Her eyes darted from her sensei behind her, who had also sat up and had a hand on her shoulder, to Deidara, who was glaring intensely.

She opened her mouth to speak, looking like she was going to snap at the both of them for waking her, when her eyes glazed over and her shoulders slumped. Everything seemed to come back to her in that moment and she lifted a hand to her wet cheek. She brushed the tears away absently and whispered, "What were you two yelling about?"

"Tomorrow we're leaving."

"And?"

"Without him Sakura. You and I are going to Snow Country. We'll get in touch with the Hokage somehow and clear all of this up." When Kakashi mentioned Deidara, his eyes narrowed in disgust.

Sakura stiffened and her eyes flickered in confusion. "Kakashi-sensei what…but…?" The look fit her more than the lost, haunted visage he'd seen since their encounter with Uchiha Sasuke.

"There is no reason for us to travel with him, Sakura. He is an Akatsuki member and an enemy. Now that we no longer have a common goal, we do not need him."

"What do you mean 'no common goal'?" Sakura almost yelled as she turned to Kakashi, emerald eyes alight with confusion and indignation. Yes, she'd always looked best with that angry glint in her eyes… "Sasuke is still out there!"

"What are you talking about, Sakura?"

"He's dangerous, Kakashi-sensei. And we…" She swallowed. "Naruto wants him back and no matter what, we have to do _something_ about him. Even if we have to kill him, we have to do something." He saw her close her eyes and her face twist in pain at the mention of killing Sasuke. It angered him a bit, that she still cared enough for the little twerp to not want to kill him.

"Well as you can see, our goals are the same, yeah." Deidara answered back smugly, smirking at Kakashi who glared from behind Sakura. "I want him dead, you want him dead. Let's just go kill the brat and then we'll all be happy and can go our separate ways, ne?"

"Why do you need our help?" Kakashi questioned harshly.

"Your dear Sakura-chan hasn't fully healed me. I can't fight him with my chakra like this and hope to win, yeah. And you two can't beat him either…I have the best chance, and that's with my full chakra and my clay."

Sakura bit her lip, glaring indignantly at Deidara. He knew it annoyed her that he'd said she had no chance. He had to admit…working with her, fighting together with her…had been exhilarating. They were like a well-oiled machine. They seemed to know each other's movements before they made them. Her destructive fists enthralled him, drew him in. That kind of explosive power in such delicate looking hands…if that wasn't a turn on for a man he didn't know what was. He coughed, turning his head to the side and glad for the darkness of the room.

"Let's talk about this later." Sakura finally muttered, and Deidara noticed that the dull look was back in her eyes—whether from sadness or fatigued he wasn't sure. "I want to sleep."

"Whatever, yeah." Deidara grunted. "You need all the beauty sleep you can get anyway."

"Bastard." She snapped, but it ended in a yawn and he watched her curl against her sensei once again, one arm resting on his hip while both of his drew her against him. He gave Deidara one last glare, one that stated they would talk about this more in the morning for sure, and then closed his own eyes, chin resting against Sakura's head.

Deidara knew Kakashi wouldn't sleep until he did, so…the man willed himself to fall into slumber, even as his hand tensed and his fingers curled around the dagger hidden in the sleeves of his shirt.

* * *

Tsunade wasn't quite sure what was going on, or what she was going to do, only that there were two three-foot stacks of files on her desk and half of them needed to be signed before the day was out.

Damn.

She rubbed her temple, feeling a stress headache begin to build behind her eyes. She felt as if she'd aged so much in the last month…she gave a small sigh—a wistful, depressed sound—and looked down at the current file she'd been reading.

Normally these things would be done by now, with both Sakura and Shizune helping her. But Shizune was working overtime at the hospital to make up for Sakura's absence, so Tsunade was left alone to her Hokage duties.

She'd always hated paperwork…but over the past week she'd learned to loathe it. She glared down at the paper, willing it to burst into flames just from the force of her glare. She finally reached out and grabbed her teacup from the corner of her desk and brought it to her lips. She took a seat and grimaced, forcing herself to drink.

Cold again…

The bitter herbs rested on her tongue and made her nose burn. She and Sakura had been working on the concoction together before her apprentice's disappearance. It was a stimulant, like soldier pills, but without the dangerous symptoms that came along with them. There were no side-effects that they knew of yet—unless dying from the sheer noxious taste counted—other than a small lag in energy a few days later and mild headaches. But compared to being bedridden for days on end after your body burned up all of its energy and chakra, the thing was a godsend. If only they could get it into a solid form…after all, you couldn't stop a battle to boil tea.

The thought of working alongside Sakura, laughing and joking and sifting through medical and botany journals, made a dull ache form in her chest. It was a feeling that never really left these days.

_Will I continue to lose everyone that I care for? Is that my curse?_ She glared down at the file on her desk and clenched her fist.

_I can't stand this!_

Not only was Sakura gone, but Kakashi had gone missing, separated from his ANBU group in their search for Sakura. No one knew if he was dead or alive. The loss of their infamous copycat ninja and her apprentice was a harsh blow. Only her very trusted subordinates—and Sakura's nosy friends—knew about their absence. Otherwise, Tsunade knew Danzou would take full advantage of the situation.

"Hokage-sama."

She blinked, looking up as a young ANBU appeared in her doorway. She hadn't even heard him enter. She nodded at him, trying to put a name to the man behind the mask. He was an ANBU captain, and she tried to know her captains well enough to recognize them outside of her office. He was a fairly new one, if she remembered correctly. He'd been the captain of the team she'd sent to find Sakura.

A hawk mask…yes, he seemed so familiar… His hair, a deep chocolate brown that shown burgundy when the light hit it just right, was tied back in a ponytail. The soft sound of a bell chiming caught her attention. She blinked. It was attached to the end of the hair-tie, and when he moved, it continued its melody. It was a soft sound, almost discernable.

It clicked.

"Oh." Tsunade muttered, not realizing she'd said it aloud.

Haruno Kawanari…Sakura's cousin and fiancé.

Kawanari had always watched out for Sakura. Even now, Tsunade could feel an anxiousness in him. She had not wanted to take the ANBU team away from finding her apprentice to go on another mission. It had broken her heart to do so…but they couldn't afford to lose the ANBU team, especially not their greatest genjutsu and seal user, Kawanari. He was a prodigy in that sector and with the bands of Waterfall-nin that had been patrolling the area, it was impossible to continue the search. Besides, she was getting so much pressure from the citizen AND shinobi councils…Danzou was enjoying her frustration, and she wouldn't be surprised if he'd had a hand in Sakura's disappearance.

"Yes?" She finally questioned, seeing him standing ramrod straight in front of her. He seemed anxious to speak, but also reluctant. He'd only returned from his previous mission—the one she'd sent him to get him away from Sakura's retrieval—a few hours before, judging by the fresh bloodstains on his vest.

"I came to give you my report." He nodded his head and handed her a scroll. "Also Hokage-sama, I had wondered if you had gotten any word—" He stopped speaking as several chakra signatures appeared outside of the room and three masked ANBU burst into the door.

"Hokage-sama!"

"What is it?" Tsunade snapped irritably.

"This…we've just gotten word. This message was addressed to you from Tazuna, the famous architect in Wave country."

"Tazuna?" She remembered the man. He was famous as a bridge-builder in Mist, as well as most of the rest of the shinobi world. He'd also been the client on one of Team 7's first missions as Genin, if she remembered correctly… "Very well, let me see it." She took the scroll from him and opened it quickly. She scanned the few lines and time seemed to slow. The ANBU in the room watched her eyes widen in shock and the color leave her face.

The scroll fell from limp fingers.

"Hokage-sama!" All of the shinobi present rushed forward, unsure of what to do.

"She's…"

"Hokage-sama?" That was Kawanari.

"She's dead." Her voice was hollow and numb. "My apprentice is dead."

The genjutsu prodigy slowly slumped to his knees, the sound echoing in the silent office.

* * *

"Dammit Ero-sennin…I hate this!" Naruto punched the tree beside him in anger, and he welcomed the pain that blossomed in his hand, his knuckles tearing and bruising against the harsh bark.

Jiraiya gave a grunt of annoyance. "Listen Naruto, we can't get you anywhere near those Akatsuki, got it?"

"But then why am I here in the first place!?" Naruto growled out angrily.

"Because the best place to hide you is in plain sight." Jiraiya grumbled. "But that doesn't mean we're going to lead you straight to their leader."

Naruto glared down at the ground, but didn't push the issue anymore. "…hey Ero-sennin, have you found anything out about him yet?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "I've been unable to get into Rain without fear of detection. That barrier is too complex." There were so few people who would be able to make a barrier on that scale...he had no idea what could possibly be going on in Rain.

"I can't do anything." Naruto whispered. "I can't go into Rain and I…I can't even protect Sakura-chan. If I'm going to become Hokage one day I…I need to be able to at least protect the people that I love the most!"

Jiraiya's gaze followed him, and all he could do was place a hand on Naruto's shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze. "I promise Naruto, if Shikamaru and the others get any information on Sakura's whereabouts, we'll head there, consequences be damned."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, before a bright smile appeared on his face. "Really? You mean it?"

Jiraiya ignored the small twinge of guilt that filled him, but it had been worth it to see Naruto's smile. "Yeah Naruto. We'll find her."

* * *

Sakura calmly ran her fingers through her tangled hair. She didn't have a brush with her, as she sat on the edge of the only bed in their small room. Kakashi had gone downstairs to checkout with the innkeeper and gather some supplies.

Deidara was taking a shower in the attached bathroom.

Sakura knew Kakashi was only a second away in case she needed him. Kakashi didn't trust Deidara at all—_wise choice_—and she knew he'd never leave her alone with the blonde Iwa-nin.

As she sat on the bed, a sharp pain blossomed in her chest and tears sprang up in her eyes. She covered her face with her hands and let out a small gasp, urging the tears away. This had been happening more and more lately.

Weakling.

Failure.

She really couldn't do anything…and now, the one thing she'd held onto, her one constant in life—Konoha, that village ALWAYS needed her, she was _important_ there!—was gone now. She'd never be able to go back. She was either dead to them—the best option—or labeled a missing-nin, which was something she would never be able to stand.

To be thought a traitor by the village she loved so much…the pain in her chest intensified and she pressed a hand to her heart, clenching her eyes shut and gritting her teeth. She hated herself for being so emotional. She hated that she couldn't be stronger, especially at a time like this when all she could do was rely on herself—_and Kakashi!_, a part of her whispered fervently, _We can always rely on Kakashi-sensei, he'll always be there for us!_

But Sakura felt as if she was somehow cheating Kakashi. He was leaving Konoha for her. He was risking his own status as a Konoha shinobi in order to stay with her when she knew that he could easily return. In the beginning, right after Sasuke had left—_Sasuke!_—she'd told Kakashi to go back to Konoha and pretend he'd never seen her.

He'd merely said the line that made her chest ache even more.

"_Those who betray their mission may be trash…but those who betray their teammates are worse than trash."_

It hurt so badly…

What about Sasuke? He'd betrayed them. His revenge, his hatred and cruelty…she supposed she'd always been in denial as she'd searched for him. She'd always expected that after she and Naruto reasoned with him, they'd finally be able to bring him back and he'd be the same boy he'd always been. He was lost and confused and that was all.

But that wasn't the truth.

He wasn't lost…he was broken. He was shattered and she couldn't put all the pieces back together! He was broken beyond repair and he was _a monster_. She tugged on her hair painfully, feeling her scalp itch and sting.

She'd come to terms with it earlier in the morning, when Deidara and Kakashi had been asleep—or pretending to sleep—and she'd realized that Konoha really didn't need her at all. Maybe they never _had_ needed her.

She just seemed to be a liability to everyone.

But she swore that now, now she would help Konoha even if they didn't need her, because she was still a loyal Konoha shinobi dammit! She would find Sasuke…and she would make sure he would never hurt Konoha again. He was a danger to them, in more ways than one. With the Sharingan he posed a threat, and now the only two Uchiha members still living were missing-nin. Also he was strong, horrifically strong. Sakura knew that if Sasuke had used the curse seal—that damnable curse seal that Orochimaru had placed upon him and Naruto had spoken of with such anger—that she and Deidara would have lost. Both of them had been lacking chakra and against someone like Sasuke…in order to defeat him they would have to be at their best.

"You're thinking too hard. Your brain is going to explode, yeah."

Sakura's head shot up at the sound of his voice and his breath against her ear. She shot backwards on the bed, and her knees caught on the end, causing her to fall onto her back with a small yelp. It wasn't loud, but she half expected Kakashi to come running up the stairs and barge into the room.

He didn't, and she realized that something must be horribly wrong.

Deidara was looming over her now, in nothing more than a towel hanging low on his hips. She swallowed, watching a droplet of water falling from his hair and travel down his chest, slipping down his abs and gathering in the small indention of his pelvic bone before slipping down—

And then he was leaning over her completely, arms on either side—oh god what was he holding the towel up with now!?!?!—and his face was inches from her own. His blue eyes were cold, but they burned with an intensity that made her go hot and cold at the same time.

She squirmed, and panic filled her, but at the same time she couldn't move or breathe.

"Sakura-tenshi…I thought I told you that I'd punish you for keeping things from me, yeah." He murmured dangerously, and his smirk grew. The water from his hair was dripping onto her shirt, soaking it. She barely felt it when a droplet hit her cheek.

"I…it was…don't give me that!" Sakura snapped back, trying to must up courage and failing miserably. "I don't have to explain myself to you!"

"Mmm…" Deidara's nose grazed her cheek. "Explanations aren't necessary…but a punishment is, yeah."

"Get away from me!" Sakura's voice rose an octave. Where the hell was Kakashi-sensei? He was within sensing distance which meant he _had_ to be able to hear her!

"I may not be as good with genjutsu as you or your sensei yeah…but even I can put a good silencing jutsu on a room if I want to." And Deidara's smirk grew as the color drained from Sakura's face.

"S-stay away…" Sakura whispered, horror overcoming here. Oh god…he was going to kill her…or rape her. Or rape her and then kill her—or kill her and then rape her if he was really THAT sick and twisted.

_Dammit, this is Deidara we're talking about! Sick and twisted is his middle name!_

But at the same time, the thoughts were fleeting. Somewhere, deep inside, she felt like he wasn't going to hurt her. She knew it was stupid to think that, but her gut instincts had never been wrong before. She didn't scream or try to move, she just looked up at him and waited.

Like a deer in the headlights.

One of his hands traveled up her leg, and her skin felt sensitive and hot where his fingers had been. It was like he was branding her, and her inside squirmed. But her body warred with itself. She was afraid of him—she'd always be afraid she suspected, because this was _Deidara_ and he was just as likely to blow her up as he was to kiss her.

"S…stop…" She managed to stutter out, because she felt too warm against the cold sheets.

His tongue darted out, licking her neck, and she almost squealed. She shifted beneath him uncomfortably—he was so wet and the water was soaking her through. His body stuck to her clothes and her clothes stuck to her like a second skin. The thin layer of cloth did nothing.

She jolted, as his hand skimmed the edge of her shirt before brushing underneath it. Her face flushed a bright red. "Hey! Stop that!"

He wouldn't do anything…he wouldn't…and why did it make her whole body tingle?

He chuckled against her neck. "We're not finished yet."

"We're finished alright! Get off now before I kick your ass!" She growled out, trying to get out from under him. "You bastard I'll—oh!" Her body arched as a strange sensation filled her. She let out a small gasp, face flushing a deeper red. One of her breasts was cupped in his palm as he ran lazy circles over the bra-covered nipple.

"Wh…what are you…stop…" She couldn't think, because all she could focus on was his nimble fingers and the small sparks of pleasure that traveled down her spine as he pinched her roughly. "Ah!"

Deidara smirked as he breathed in her scent, his nose trailing her jaw. He'd known she'd give in to him eventually…no one could fight him forever. They two of them had been dancing around each other and their physical attraction for too long. He was frustrated and all he wanted to do was fuck her senseless, consequences be damned.

After seeing her fight, after watching her explosive fists and her bright emerald eyes alight with righteous anger…he knew he wanted her. He was the type of person to seize what he wanted with no fear of repercussion. He lived for the day and that was all that mattered.

God this was frustrating…he almost growled against her skin. Part of him—a small part—was urging him away. This was dangerous _she_ was dangerous and he couldn't afford to become emotionally attached to this slip of a girl.

But he'd had an epiphany the night before.

She was dead to Konoha. That meant…she had no obligations to the village anymore. She didn't need to worry about them coming for her because they truly believed she was dead. He'd always kept her around because she was useful to him, knowing that he could kill her anytime he wished. But now…he wanted to keep her around just _because_. It was spontaneous, but that was how he liked things.

What the hell was wrong with him anyway? This shouldn't be happening! He needed to return to the Akatsuki whether he wanted to or not and she needed to return back to her village and be the little goody-two-shoes that he knew her as.

Speaking of being a prick…why the hell hadn't she slapped him yet?

He stopped his ministrations and looked down at her, opening his mouth to say something mean to get a rise out of her…and stopped.

He blinked, because her eyes held such an innocent acceptance and trust that it startled him. No, it shocked him to the core. He almost reeled backwards, because the emotion was so strong and unexpected. Her face was flushed and she was panting slightly, her mouth open. She looked utterly kissable, but the trust in her eyes kept him away. That innocence scared him, even as it drew him in.

She looked so easily breakable and from his experiences…he realized that she was. One wrong move and she would shatter, and he'd be left with broken pieces that he had no intention—or ability—to fix. He could take her now and risk her breaking, he knew that. She was young and innocent and she didn't understand the way he was making her feel or her body's responses to his touches. Even if she was a kunoichi and had been taught about sex, he knew she'd never experienced it, and her mind was overloaded with thoughts and feelings.

And yet she looked up at him with that single-minded _trust._

There was a long moment of silence as the two stared at one another, before Deidara gave a small sigh. Then he did something Sakura hadn't expected at all. He slumped on top of her, his weight resting comfortably on her, his face buried in her chest.

"…you really are an angel yeah…" His murmur was muffled by her shirt.

Sakura's eye twitched as she realized he wasn't going to move.

"…pervert…get your face off of my chest!"

And that's when Kakashi burst into the room and Sakura realized that Deidara's towel had fallen off a LONG time ago.

* * *

**(A\N: Wow…um…yeah…here's your chapter. A little DeiSaku in there for you, with the two of them trying to come to terms with their feelings for one another. Plus, I added in Sakura's fiance...some people were wondering how the ANBU captain had known Sakura when he'd told Kakashi to bring her back well...there's your answer! :D As you can guess, since Sakura hasn't mentioned him, it's because it is an arranged marriage. While she cares for him deeply, she doesn't love him like that...which will be explained later. :) I am going to try my hardest to update some other stories this weekend. I'm sorry this is so late. School and life in general have been hectic and I don't have much time for anything that doesn't involve homework and studying…anyway, I hope you guys liked it, especially my evil cliffhanger. :D**

**Sincerely,**

**Lady Hanaka)**


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